Not gonna lie, when I see a self-professed stoner/occult rock outfit with the word Witch in its name, I kinda cringe a little (notable exception: Witch Mountain). And if we’re judging an album by its cover, then I hope this trio doesn’t sound as tacky as their artwork looks. But hey, what with the dearth of releases in Jan/Feb, I figured I might as well give this one by Witchrider a spin, anyways.
Electric Wizard worship this is not. These guys recently toured with Truckfighters, and are signed to the latter’s own Fuzzorama Records, so it’s no surprise that they ape the Swedish stoner sound (Dozer, Lowrider, Truckfighters, etc)… even though they’re Austrian. In fact, I’d say these guys sound an awful lot like their label bosses in particular, although this album lacks the energetic fuzzorama of a “Desert Cruiser.” A couple tunes come close, but methinks they’re a little low on fuel…
That said, I got to see Truckfighters in concert last year, and they put on one helluva show. Perhaps I’ll give Witchrider the benefit of the doubt and assume they’re better live.
