Front to back, the first demo from stoner rockers Witchasaurus Hex is all about charm. Appropriately titled Our First Demo, from the band’s name on down to the hand-drawn cover and the Sharpie marker smell of the track list to the two tracks themselves that comprise it, everything about Witchasaurus Hex has an almost childlike appeal to it, and the songs themselves, “The Great Wolf Lodge” and “Country Fried Snake” bear that out in easygoing riffs and grooves. The Eugene, Oregon (known chiefly as the home of YOB), four-piece dial into nod-worthy stoner vibes and simple structures too make songs that are unquestionably for the converted and stylistically basic, but again, built on that charm, I’m more inclined to roll with it than pan them for not reinventing the stoner rock formula, especially on a release that, as noted, is their first demo.

Beginning with a riff that says “follow me” right from its start, “The Great Wolf Lodge” keeps a middle pace throughout, giving the fuzz from Tristan Tower’s guitars time to sink in as complemented by Andy Ritenour’s bass before the drums or the vocals kick in. Our First Demo was recorded and mixed by Sam Wartenbee (Take 92), and Dylan Ferguson’s drums are a little far back in the mix as compared to Tower’s guitar (at least in the solo sections of “The Great Wolf Lodge”), but it’s the guitar leading the song anyway. Vocalist Brian Michael Cooper has a high-in-the-mouth tenor to his voice, reminiscent of some of the higher-register vocals in Asteroid, or if you want to trace it back to doom, Apostle of Solitude or any number of the oldschool acts who influenced them. His voice too is a little high in the mix, but again, this being Witchasaurus Hex’s first time out, and the grooves they elicit being so formidable, I’m more than willing to let it slide. Cooper fits the music well, in any case, and I think bringing Ritenour up in any subsequent mixes would probably resolve a lot of the issues sound-wise on Our First Demo. I’m a sucker for a warm bass sound, though, so take that for what it’s worth.

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