Call me crazy, but I still can’t see the phrase “the horror” and not think of Marlon Brando saying it in some dark cave. Maybe Apocalypse Now is what Los Angeles heavy rockers Witches of God were going for when they titled the penultimate and longest song on their full-length debut, The Blood of Others (review here), but the chorus of the track itself leaves it somewhat more open, since it’s the lines, “All the horror that’s in you/All the horror you will see,” keep it relatively vague whether or not they’re being referential. That album, if you haven’t heard it, is silly with hooks. They’re just all over the place. But they picked the right one for a Wino guest spot.

The thing that impressed so much about The Blood of Others was how impeccably put together it was. Especially for being Witches of God‘s first outing, it not only had songwriting, but a perspective from which it was working — vaguely cultish but not enough to seem to be sacrificing accessibility — and a sense of presentation that came through even in the studio recording. It was crisp and clear, but it sounded like a show, and a good one at that. A pro job, in other words. Self-aware but not restrained and with no shortage of tonal weight or groove. Wino wasn’t the only guest, either. Eddie Solis of It’s Casual also contributed to two tracks, so there was a decent sense of changing up their approach as well.

I’ll include the link to the Witches of God Bandcamp in case anyone wants to give the full thing a listen, but “The Horror” deserves specific Wino Wednesday highlighting, so here we go. Please find the track on the player below, lose yourself in the chugging riffage of its verses, and of course have a killer Wino Wednesday:

Witches of God, “The Horror”

Two factors work in the immediate favor of The Blood of Others, the self-released debut full-length from Los Angeles doom rockers Witches of God: Craft and performance. Technically speaking, there really isn’t much more you need once you’ve got knowing what you want to do and doing it. Witches of God come into the eight-track, analog-recorded, 45-minute vinyl outing with a firm grasp on aesthetic, a collection of songs that work in a variety of moods and an underlying structure of tracks that maximizes the overall flow between them. Even before you press play or lower the arm on your turntable, The Blood of Others showcases its accomplishment by beginning with “Devils II” and “Devils III” while saving “Devils” itself for side B, as the opening duo make for catchier, stronger material and it’s glaringly obvious that Witches of God knew that and had the presence of mind and editorial sensibility to separate a trio of cuts that on countless other records probably would’ve been stuck all together at the end. That’s craft. The actual songwriting, which makes “Devils II” and cuts like “The Blood of Others,” “Higher than the Heavens” — which is a tribute to Denis “Piggy” D’Amour of Voivod featuring It’s Casual‘s Eddie Solis on vocals — so memorable, is only bolstered by the performance of the band throughout, which ties into a vaguely cultish aesthetic somewhat similar in its energy and vibe (if not actual sonics) to Venomous Maximus out of Texas and demonstrates a range of moods ably, running from the attitude drenched Motörheadery of “First Love” and ’80s metal swagger of “Devils” itself to the subdued closing comedown of “Chasing Coffins,” also featuring Solis on vocals.

Solis and fellow guest Scott “Wino” Weinrich — who donates vocals to the penultimate “The Horror” — are the only two names given by the group apart from co-producer Samur Khouja and Tom Neely, who handled the artwork for the gatefold LP. The actual players are anonymous for the time being, with the songwriting credited to the band as a whole with Weinrich given cowritten-by status on the track on which he appears. Given the commitment made to such a stylized presentation, I get why the band would want to remain anonymous, but with the drama especially vocally that comes through as the songs play out, I’m not sure they’d lose anything by taking credit for work well done. Still, no names. Witches of God, the singular entity, stand as responsible for one count of viciously hookish songwriting, and while I don’t think they actual go out and drink people’s blood at night (nor does the vast majority of people who sing about it) or whathaveyou, they sure sound like they’re having a good time playing songs about it. And if some of the thematics throughout will ring familiar — witches, blood, the devil, horror, and so on — it’s a boon to Witches of God‘s approach that they come out on the other end of “Chasing Coffins” sounding more more redundant than intended. In the case of “Higher than the Heavens,” for example, that’s basically the idea — it’s a complete sonic tribute to Voivod and works in the progressive elements so often imitated from that band, including (and this I’d argue is the most skillful turn) that particular just-past-the-beat timing that has you immersed in the chorus before you even recognize the change. That song, the album’s shortest at 3:51, is a far cry stylistically from the ultra-catchy scum riffing of opener “Devils II.” There, Witches of God show they are pretty clearly aware of the malevolent shuffle Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats incorporated into “I’ll Cut You Down” at the start of their 2011 outing, Blood Lust, but they pair the darkened boogie and cowbell righteousness with a Cathedral-style sense of playing the host, an open arm leading the way for the listener directly to an unmistakable and well-telegraphed chorus.

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