Why yes, it’s another “occult stoner/doom” band with Witch in its name – and this one even includes Creed in its moniker! But hey, if you can get past the band name, let’s just say they can take you higher. ?
The song “Witchers Creed” kicks off the album. “Black Sabbath” this is not, but after a cowbell-heavy intro, they settle into a solid 70’s rock verse that reminds me of Mountain or even Sons of OTIS, ahead of a chorus where they kinda ape the riff from “War Pigs.”
“Depths of the Black Void” also has a pretty solid Sabbathian bass line, although this one’s a little more mellow, despite its crunchy chorus. The cowbell makes a comeback on “Victims of Retribution,” which even adds a bit of Candlemass to the mix, albeit without the vocal histrionics, as well as a call-and-response vocal around the two-minute mark. (Did I mention these guys were Swedish?)
“Raven’s Claw” borders on Pentagram worship, with a vocal that almost sounds like Bobby Liebling, but those wails don’t work as well on “Larissa,” a bluesy power ballad that drags on a bit too long. At nearly eight-and-a-half minutes, “Rituals of Decay” is also a little lengthy, but there is one really good reoccurring doom riff on this one, at least…and it gets better when they pick up the pace just ahead of the five-minute mark before ending things on a very doomy note.
If there’s one song to listen to from this one, it’s gotta be “Salem (Resurrection).” They clearly set out to write a vintage doom anthem on this one, and they nailed it. This tune wouldn’t sound outta place on Angel Witch s/t, put it that way. Now, I wouldn’t call Awakened from the Tomb an all-time classic, but it kept my attention with some pretty decent doom metal for (most of) 50 minutes, so I’ll give them credit for that.
(Ripple Music)
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