Doctor Smoke’s The Witching Hour Available Now
Split between Ohio and Pennsylvania, the four-piece Doctor Smoke have just issued their first full-length, The Witching Hour through Totem Cat Records. The long-player follows last year’s four-track Demo 2013 (review here) and repurposes three of those songs, including leadoff duo “The Willow” and “Blood and Whiskey,” giving the implication that they knew what they were going for their first time out and it’s not like their initial batch of songs needed to be scrapped. The other original cut from the demo, “The Seeker” appears on The Witching Hour — the last track was a Pentagram cover — but the album ups the band’s game in terms of production and presentation, their hooks coming across with a decidedly dark, brooding sensibility, more horror than cult, but still definitely aware of ritual.
CD is out on Totem Cat. I’m not sure about a vinyl release, though one has to imagine it’s in the works or in the pre-works one way or another, and the foursome already hit the road in support of the demo, so it seems probable they’ll do likewise for the album itself. More on that as it comes up, but the album’s on Bandcamp, so here’s the stream and info for you to dig in:
Our debut full length album available on CD in Digipak format from Totem Cat Records.
All music and lyrics written and performed by Doctor Smoke
Matt Tluchowski – Lead vocals/Guitar
Steve Lehocky – Lead Guitar
Cody Cooke – Bass/Vocals
Dave Trikones – Drums
Drums and bass recorded December 2013 at The Bombshelter – Nashville, TN
Engineered by Andrija Tokic and Jason Blackburn
Guitars and vocals recorded August-September 2014
Engineered by Steve Lehocky and Matt Tluchowski
Mixed by Steve Lehocky
Mastered by Gus Elg at Sky Onion – Portland, OR
Saxophone on “From Hell” performed by Mitchell Lawrence
Artwork by Katie Umhoefer – www.StrangeFortuneDesign.com
Layout by Casket Vex Design – www.facebook.com/CasketVexDesign
http://doctorsmoke.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/drsmokedoom
http://totemcatrecords.bigcartel.com/
