I’m sure somewhere in the dark recesses of the weirdo-est corners of Portland, Oregon, some craggly seer could’ve foretold the reappearance of hooded wizards Blackwitch Pudding, but let’s face it, that dude smells like pee and most of his predictions have to do with chemtrails. It’s been nearly two years since the band unveiled their Covered in Pudding Vol. 1 EP (review here) that offered muddied, rumbling and hilarious takes on Roky Erickson, KISS, Rush and Judas Priest as a follow-up to their 2013 debut LP, Taste the Pudding (review here), and not only have they come lurching back from the smoke-filled ether in which one assumes they dwell, but they’ve brought some formidable company along for the ride. Blackwitch Pudding feat. Soul Wizard will release a new 10″ single, Betty Kougar b/w Herman the Worm Man, on April 15.

While the identities of guitarist Space Wizard, bassist Lizard Wizard and drummer Wizard Wizard remain a secret, it just so happens that Soul Wizard is also known to mortals as Uta Plotkin, the former vocalist of Witch Mountain. The new two-songer from Blackwitch Pudding feat. Soul Wizard marks the first recorded output for Plotkin since leaving Witch Mountain in Aug. 2014, and while to anyone even remotely familiar with her work it should come as no surprise that she offers such a noteworthy performance vocally — emphasis on “soul” in Soul Wizard — and provides accent to her bluesy delivery with harsher gutturalisms in both tracks of the 10″, the lyrics to both cuts push the effect even further. Departing from the personal nature of her prior outfit’s last album, Plotkin presents two horror-show characters who fit perfectly alongside the “Gods of Grungus” and “Shark Commando” who’ve populated Blackwitch Pudding‘s other releases.

The A-side cleverly plays “Betty Kougar” as a middle-aged dream-haunting monster on the prowl for younger men — “She’ll make a man out of you/Then she’ll un-man you” — while “Herman the Worm Man” turns more sinister — “When I look at you I see a thousand creeping uncles/Licking their lips and patting their laps/And whispering ‘don’t tell daddy'” — and creeps out along those lines with a character who has worms where his hair and fingers should be. Plotkin seems utterly at home telling these stories, and Blackwitch Pudding roll out a faster, classic-metal swing in “Betty Kougar” and a slower, more doomed groove in “Herman the Worm Man,” their malevolence duly thickened but still retaining its party-ready edge considering, you know, it’s all made up horror stories played by people in wizard outfits and all that.

I wouldn’t speculate as to whether Blackwitch Pudding feat. Soul Wizard is a one-time deal or an ongoing collaboration, either full-time or something in-between, but “Betty Kougar” and “Herman the Worm Man” build on what the band has done before and bring it together with the most powerful voice to come out of the Pacific Northwest heavy boom, and in addition to being a good time, it’s a pairing that works remarkably well for all involved. Now if only we knew who the hell Lazer Wizard is.

Recorded by the nigh-on-ubiquitous Adam Pike at Toadhouse Studios, Betty Kougar b/w Herman the Worm Man is out April 15. Both tracks are available to stream below, followed by the release info, with my thanks to the band.

Enjoy:

Blackwitch Pudding takes you on a rocking, interplanetary voyage through the deepest reaches of your evil mind with Soul Wizard at the helm. This two track limited release features the voice of Soul Wizard and is available in black and brown/white marble. Get ready to bend over and take it… into hyper drive!

Releases April 15, 2016.

Music by Space Wizard
Lyrics by Soul Wizard
Vocals – Soul Wizard
Guitar – Space Wizard
Bass – Lizard Wizard
Drums – Wizard Wizard
Backup Vocals – Space, Lizard, Wizard, and Lazer Wizard

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Adam Pike at Toadhouse Studios. Artwork by Darren St. Darren. Additional art by David Paul Seymour, Steven McClain, and Liesl Meissner.

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