Toulouse, France-based cult doom rollers Witchthroat Serpent have set a March 3 release for their fourth album, Trove of Oddities at the Devil’s Driveway, through foremost purveyor Heavy Psych Sounds. The band made their debut on the label last year as part of HPS‘ Doom Sessions split series, pairing well with Dead Witches for a 12″ vinyl, and the new six-song/41-minute LP follows behind 2018’s Swallow the Venom, which was released through Svart.

Crucially, Trove of Oddities at the Devil’s Driveway is their first outing with second guitarist Djé Cndrs (also of Pillars) alongside founding guitarist/vocalist Fredrik Bolzann (also Deathbell), bassist Ügo Greifengeier (who made his first appearance on the split last year) and founding drummer Niko Lass, and from 10-minute opener and longest track (immediate points) “Multi-Dimensional Marvelous Throne” onward, the march into the abyss is that much more doomed for the added distorted lumber. Taking cues from horror flicks and general anti-everything nod, the now-four-piece stir a cauldron of riffs with the steady hands of masters, their dark arts and atmospheres duly ceremonial to suit their horror-minded themes.

From the weighted stomp in Lass‘ drums that marks every step along the path of the lead track to the languid swirling solos that cut through the clouds of churning molasses smoke, the lead cut sets the tone figuratively and literally, and its side B counterpart, “The House That Dripped Blood” (video premiering below) mirrors many of its methods with perhaps a heavier crash as the lead single.

The video takes clips from the 1971 film of the same name — you’ll see Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Nyree Dawn Porter, etc. — and though it hits arguably the heaviest for following the three-minute noise-laced night-terror interlude that is “The Gorgon,” “The House That Dripped Blood” does well to encapsulate much of what works best throughout this Trove, with a feedback start and foreboding drums that unfold in their own damn time to big, lumbering headpunch of a riff, meaner even than that of the opener or “Nosferatu’s Misery,” which follows.

Some Electric Wizard vibe in the lead guitar feels pushed into dreamier tonality, and a sample marks the way into the verse, duly cavernous and crushing of spirit and heft alike. There’s another solo late, but they cap with feedback before the faster, crashier “Yellow Nacre” and the likewise woeful and woefully catchy “Mountain Temple in Bleakness” round out side B, the latter giving the bass a well deserved moment in the limelight en route to its own feedback-bedded excruciation of a finish, organ and vague vocals underscoring the otherworldly-then-gone nature of the drawdown.

You like heavy? Shit, here’s some Heavy. I guess this was supposed to be the album announcement and I kind of just reviewed it, but whatever. Brave new world, and you’ll be ready when this thing lands in March. If you’re the type to take care of things ahead of time, you know Heavy Psych Sounds has preorders ready.

Those links, some comment from the band, and more info follow the video premiere below, courtesy of the PR wire.

Enjoy:

Witchthroat Serpent, “The House That Dripped Blood” video premiere

Witchthroat Serpent on “The House That Dripped Blood”:

The House That Dripped Blood is a song about the 1971 British anthology horror film directed by Peter Duffell. Made up of four stories about Vampires, Voodoo, Vixens and Victims! Also the cover of the album was inspired by this movie…

You can hear the voice of Nyree Dawn Porter and Christopher Lee at the beginning of the song.

THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD is the first single taken from WITCHTHROAT SERPENT upcoming new album “Trove of Oddities at the Devil’s Driveway”.

The release will see the light March 3rd via Heavy Psych Sounds.

ALBUM PRESALE:
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop.htm

USA PRESALE:
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop-usa.htm

TRACKLIST
1. Multi-dimensional Marvelous Throne
2. Nosferatu’s Mastery
3. The Gorgon
4. The House That Dripped Blood
5. Yellow Nacre
6. Mountain Temple In Bleakness

Witchthroat Serpent are:
Fredrik Bolzann – guitar/vocals
Niko Lass – drums
Ügo Greifengeier – bass
Djé Cndrs – guitar

Witchthroat Serpent on Facebook

Witchthroat Serpent on Instagram

Witchthroat Serpent on Bandcamp

Witchthroat Serpent on Spotify

Heavy Psych Sounds on Facebook

Heavy Psych Sounds on Instagram

Heavy Psych Sounds website

Heavy Psych Sounds on Bandcamp

I hope you’ll pardon me if I step back from the precipice of yet another here’s-me-daydreaming-about-being-independently-wealthy-and-spending-my-days-countryhopping-from-one-awesome-European-fest-to-the-next post — I don’t even know how many there have been at this point; frickin’ countless; this isn’t even the first one today — to note instead that along with the more familiar names included in the lineup for Barcelona’s Cheapstock Vol. 4 like Libido Fuzz, Belzebong, Blaak Heat, Cachemira, Lewis and the Strange Magics, Abrahma and Witchthroat Serpent, there are a slew of others with whom I at least am less introduced. Eve, Udol, Paz, Mad Macius, Kamadeva, and so on — most of the bottom half of the bill is new to me, and I think that’s awesome. It’s my favorite kind of homework. More music to explore. Whether or not you can make it to the fest, I hope you’ll likewise take advantage of the checklist below.

Cheapstock Vol. 4 — including a bong giveaway and a Kyuss tribute for the aftershow — is put on by Solo Bongs Records and takes place Sept. 9 and 10 at Pineda de Mar in Barcelona, Spain. Doesn’t that sound nice? I think so.

Here’s all the info, including directions how to get there:

We are glad to announce the fourth edition of the Cheapstock festival, Cheapstock Vol4 is an outdoor festival for lovers of cosmic environments, heavy riffs and loud sounds. As new this year the festival will last two days and will feature camping for the 2-day pass.

We repeat site, in the football field of the foundation, this is the LINE UP for Cheapsock vol4:

Belzebong (Stoner, doom), first time in Spain! Only show!
BLAAK HEAT (Psych, Progressive, Stoner)
Witchthroat Serpent (DOOM)
Libido Fuzz (Heavy Psych/ Stoner)
ABRAHMA (Psychedelic/Atmospheric Heavy Doom Rock)
Cachemira (70’S Retro Rock / heavy psych)
MadMacius (Garage Punk)
Lewis and the Strange Magics (Heavy Psych Occult)
Nerobambola (experimental Jazz, math psychedellic duo)
EVE (Progressive, psych-doom, Rapsodia)
Electric Valley (Stoner)
Kamadeva (Heavy Psych, Stoner)
UDOL (Psych, Doom, Sludge)
Paz (Doom)

Afterparty
BASTARDS OF KYUSS (Kyuss Tribute)

Stands:
Branca Studio
Doom in aeternum
Anskar Tattoo&Piercing
+Tbc

Foodtrucks:
El alma-zen de los montaditos.
+ TBC

Cheapstock does not disgust anyone or anything, so you will be able to attend being under age or accompanied with your pet (or with your faithful bong). As it’s tradition, we’ll giveaway a fucking bong!! Courtesy of maxupixu smokers.

Tickets: https://entradium.com/entradas/cheapstock-vol4-pineda-de-mar

Arrival:
By Train, R1 Pineda de Mar, there will be a carrilet at the station that will take you directly to the festival compound and back.
By Car, by c32 exit 122, until we reach nii and continue direction girona until the exit of the motorway
By Bus, Pineda de mar train station and carrilet to the venue.
For the most adventurous to say that there are about 25 minutes walking from the pineda de Mar station.
BUS NIT:
To get back to bcn at night you need to take the n82
by Solo Bongs
Collaborate jäger music

https://entradium.com/entradas/cheapstock-vol4-pineda-de-mar
https://www.facebook.com/events/432927297064092/
https://www.facebook.com/cheapstockfest/
https://www.facebook.com/solobongs/
http://solobongsrecords.bandcamp.com/

Belzebong, Greenferno (2016)

Blaak Heat, Shifting Mirrors (2016)

French doomers Witchthroat Serpent will release their new single Striped Dragon on June 15 through Svart Records. That makes it just in time for the Toulouse three-piece to hit the road for a week of dates mostly in Germany but also with stops in Belgium and France as well as they continue to support their 2016 sophomore outing, Sang-Dragon. “Striped Dragon,” which premieres today on the player below, is one of two outlier tracks included on the 300-copy 7″ pressing that was recorded at the same time as the album but ultimately held back, and given the shift from gritty and raw doom to more psychedelic roll, one can understand why. As much as cuts like “A Caw Rises from My Guts” or “Siberian Mist” brought garage swirl to post-Electric Wizard doom, that record was much more about crushing skulls than expanding the minds held within them. It’s a question of intent.

And when it comes to intent, Witchthroat Serpent‘s is — on one release or the other — clearly geared toward darkness. From its hey-check-it-out-it’s-a-naked-chick-with-horns cover art to the 90 seconds-plus of feedback that leads the way into “Striped Dragon” itself, the new single brims with a rough-hewn psychedelic atmosphere. It’s a trip, but it’s a bleak trip, and that minute and a half of feedback isn’t simply wasted time when it comes to setting the ambience for the groove that follows. Pushed forward by drummer Niko Lass with the raw fuzz of Lo Klav‘s bass as its foundation, “Striped Dragon” complements Fredrik Bolzann‘s buzzsaw guitar tone and cleaner-but-still-shouted vocals with a persistent line of organ, which not only distinguishes the song from the album that otherwise might’ve surrounded it, but ties it aesthetically to both modern cultism and classic heavy rock in a subtle but resonant fashion.

Structurally simple, “Striped Dragon” plows through its verses on the back of said elements and at the end of its sub-six-minute run feels somewhat short in a manner that might lead one to immediately flip the platter over and take on the B-side — all the more effective as a single, then. And, since most of Sang-Dragon‘s pressings have completely sold through at this point, all the better to give Witchthroat Serpent something new to take on the road in the coming weeks. One wonders if highlighting this side of their approach might lead the band to incorporate such a wider sonic berth to their next long-player, but I think we probably have a bit to go before we find out one way or the other.

In the meantime, you can check out “Striped Dragon” on the player below, followed by more info courtesy of Svart‘s preorder page, which is here.

Please enjoy:

After their acclaimed second LP “Sang Dragon” (2016), Witchthroat Serpent continue to blaze their own path in the most powerful manner possible. “Striped Dragon” is not merely an addendum; it is a fierce metallic onslaught of occult psychedelia, strong enough to stand on its own.

Recorded live at Drudenhaus Studio during the “Sang-Dragon” sessions, this new 7?EP reveals an even more radical side of the doom shamans. These two exclusive tracks push the band’s sound into a new territory. Fierce and mind-warping, riddled with fuzzy hammering riffs and ever groovier pounding, it’s a mean follow-up to their previous sonic excursions.

“Striped Dragon” is presented in a deluxe gatefold cover, a carefully-crafted work of art by Branca Studio. This piece is limited to 300 copies and is a one-time pressing.

Available on: 15.6.2017

WITCHTHROAT SERPENT “RISING SUN TOUR” June 2017:
19/06 BE Antwerpen “Kid’s Kaffee”
20/06 GER Berlin “Tiefgrund”
21/06 GER Dresden “Ostpol”
22/06 GER Leipzig “Black label Pub”
23/06 GER Nuremberg “Kunstverein”
24/06 GER Munich “St Helena Festival”
25/06 FR Paris “Dr Feelgood”

Witchthroat Serpent on Facebook

Witchthroat Serpent on Bandcamp

Svart Records website

Svart Records on Facebook

French doom trio Witchthroat Serpent will issue their second offering, Sang-Dragon, on vinyl through Svart Records on Aug. 26. The full-length was released on CD by Deadlight Entertainment earlier this year and is still available via compact-discular means, and it can also be streamed in full via Witchthroat Serpent‘s Bandcamp page, from which one will find a player embedded below.

Witchthroat Serpent‘s debut came out in 2011 through Deadlight and Michigan’s Emetic Records, so safe to say that between the two releases the band has caught some respectable ears. Sang-Dragon is my first exposure to their work, but the heads they’ve turned to this point are enough to intrigue, even if the album art is somewhat suspect.

That and more info follow, from the PR wire:

WITCHTHROAT SERPENT to release new album on vinyl through SVART RECORDS

Sanguis draconis is a thick, blood-red resin extracted from exotic trees. Since the dawn of time, it has uses in medicine, crafts, and of course. magic. And so is Witchthroat Serpent’s music: dark and heady as blood, weird as it would come from another world, and ridden with that old powerful magic men both used to practice and fear.

Witchthroat Serpent was created in November 2011 in Toulouse, France, by Fredrik Bolzann (guitar/vocals), Niko Lass (drums), and Lo Klav (bass), with the aim to spread occult and powerful doom metal. The self-titled first album was released on CD in 2014 by Deadlight Entertainment, soon followed by a tape version through Zanjeer Zani and on LP by US label Emetic Records the year after. Quickly acclaimed as a promising newcomer, the band toured extensively throughout Europe, playing both underground shows in various countries and making it to big festivals such as the Day of Doom in Barcelona and Hellfest in 2015, before a complete Spanish tour.

Witchthroat Serpent’s incantations are made of an old legacy – that of the ancestors of the doom and stoner scenes – but don’t be mistaken! Witchthroat Serpent is more than a clone. It has its own spells, and sure know how to use them to enthrall the listener: morbid groove and psychedelic tunes to seduce you to your perdition. And so is their new album, Sang-Dragon, recorded in one day at Drudenhaus Studio in September 2015. First released on CD by Deadlight Entertainment, it will be spread on noble black vinyl by Svart Records on August 26th. Before that, and just returning from a successful Spanish/French tour in May, the trio will appear onstage at Motocultor Fest on August 19th.

The witch is ravenous and restless…beware of her spells! Haven’t you heard her yet? Hear for yourself at Witchthroat Serpent’s Bandcamp HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Witchthroat Serpent’s Sang-Dragon
1. Hydra’s Bewitchment
2. A Caw Rises From My Guts
3. Siberian Mist
4. Lady Sally
5. Into The Black Wood
6. Behind Green Eyes
7. Mystical Devotee

www.facebook.com/WitchthroatSerpent
www.svartrecords.com
www.facebook.com/svartrecords
www.youtube.com/svartrecords
www.twitter.com/svartrecords

Witchthroat Serpent, Sang-Dragon (2016)