Kitchen Witch - Earth and Ether

  

Kitchen Witch - Earth and Ether
Self released - August 2020
Doom, desert, stoner
Rated: *****

Yet another entry from the Australian breeding ground of heavy, Kitchen Witch return with their latest LP "Earth and Ether" and immediately make a play for album of the year. Led by Georgie Cosson's standout bluesy vocals, the four piece craft a maddeningly catchy mix of desert, stoner, and doom with crunch to spare. Every track's beat is pushed forward by thudding drums and a grimy low end, but the real magic happens when Cosson's own vocal rhythms and riffs play off her bandmates' grooves. Her punchy delivery in "Cave of Mischief" multiplies the impact of  the tune's choppy attack, while her soaring, powerful pipes provide ominous shade over the creeping doom of "Sunrise". Kitchen Witch is far from a one weapon arsenal, however, churning out riff after riff in inventive takes on a range of heavy styles. Highlight "The Frontal Lobe" is an assault of high speed sludge, galloping along before laying down a brilliant break of abyssal low end and skittering noise, more in line with "extreme" metal. Closer "Many Moons" lives at the other end of the spectrum, trading an aggro approach for a laid-back jangle, though this too is eventually turned on its head for a winding riff from the book of Soundgarden. Kitchen Witch absorb into their distinctive groovy sound every style of heavy they set their sights on, and paired with Cosson's vocal prowess the result is an endlessly listenable record.

(Written by Shasta Beast)

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