What Happened to Witch?
As I here and look at the window on the snowy valley and make ready to type this review, I’ve popped in my old promo of Witch‘s self-titled debut (filed right between Wintersun and Witchcraft) from 2006, in an effort to remind myself just why I expected such awesomeness at the show they, Earthless and Philadelphia local riffers Snake Sustaine put on at Asbury Lanes on Friday. Admittedly, it had been nearly three years since I’d seen them, but I didn’t expect the ravages of time to have played out quite so cruelly on their sound.
I’m getting ahead of myself.
Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, despite its unfortunate locale, is probably the best venue in New Jersey to see a show. Where Starland Ballroom is too big and absolutely unbearable when overcrowded and Maxwell’s has the even worse luck to be stranded in the douchebag metropolis that is Hoboken, the Lanes is just right. Unfortunately it’s also a 90 minute drive from the valley. Some you win, some you lose.
I got there at 10 of 10 and Snake Sustaine was about to go on. I’d later find out from their drummer, who also happens to play in Ferret Records‘ (don’t-call-us-a-)metalcore outfit A Life Once Lost — so much for wondering how they got on the bill — that it was their first show. Bearing that in mind, it’s pointless to rip on them for being sloppy or to say they seemed like they hadn’t yet really found their sound; these things are obvious for any band playing their first show. That’s what first shows are for.
However, I will say that I never really thought of Matt Pike as the kind of vocalist people would be doing impressions of a couple years down the line, but then, Snake Sustaine were young and I guess if that generation of stoner metallers started out listening to anyone, it was probably High on Fire (as opposed to the generation before them who listened to Sleep). I suppose I was naive. Not that I had much time to revel in it; they only played three songs.
But speaking of kids, Asbury Lanes was packed with them. I had and still have no idea where they all came from, but it was wall to wall chilluns, college age, tight-pantsed, PBRed and falling drunk over each other. One kid in a Down shirt was destined for vomit and followed as he lumbered around the venue all night by a patient friend who would one day hopefully cash in the debt owed to him for a large sum of money. I felt old standing there. And I was.
Having now seen the trio live for the first time, I feel like I better understand what Earthless are going for sonically. Their mission — and they are a band with a mission — as I see it is thus: To take the most rocking part of any ’70s rock song (i.e. the solo) and turn it into a 20-minute instrumental jam. Their sound carries over well to tape, but you really get a better feel for it when they’re on stage — probably why they released that Live at Roadburn set last year. I wasn’t drunk enough to lock in with their groove when they started, but by the time they were done I was ready to found a pagan religion based on human sacrifice in their honor. They ruled unholy and their songs are like Robert Jordan books.
Witch, on the other hand, sounded weak, overly-drugged and lazy like they didn’t give a fuck about what they were playing. I’ll allow for an off-night if that’s the case, since as I said earlier I’ve seen them before and they killed. But the Lanes set was played too fast and too sloppily. I admit to not having bought Paralyzed, their second album, and if that’s what it sounds like, I’m glad I saved the money (or, more likely, spent it elsewhere).
It was twice the bummer because Jersey‘s own The Atomic Bitchwax were headlining down the road at the Brighton Bar, and I felt like I’d made the wrong choice. Witch was still doing their thing when I walked out of the venue, got in the car and headed over to see if there was any chance of catching them before their set was done. Hopefully it was a late show, but when I called the Brighton, the guy on the other end of the phone said I’d already missed them. You said it, brother. Was a long ride back.
