WITCH MOUNTAIN is a doom metal band based out of Portland, Oregon. They were formed back in 1997 and this is their 5^th full-length release entitled "Witch Mountain", released on Svart Records on May 25^th 2018. It contains 5 tracks with a total of 35:07 minutes of music.

The opening track "Midnight" pounds the flesh like Iron Man with the grace of Kayla Dixon's vocals. It has a great groove reminiscent of DOWN, with a tinge of bluesy melancholy and some occasional shrieking from Rob Wrong. This is a strong start to the album; one that will make you headbang in appreciation.

"Mechanical World" has a bit of a LED ZEPPELIN/RUSH feel to it in the early moments. There are some nice tempo changes here even though the vocals show off the same of emotion throughout. Even if the riffs are somewhat repetitive at times, they serve their purpose really in the overall structure of the song.  We even get a nice dose of soothing vocal melodies near the halfway mark.

"Burn You Down" has a much more sinister side to it. It shows off the dark and muddy side of the band's persona. The rhythm guitars here really shine through, with one of the most memorable riffs on the album so far. The balance between the slow pounding riffs and the faster strumming is done to perfection.

"Hellfire" is more of an interlude with sounds of wind, burning fires and bells with beautiful acoustic guitars and some piano that would make THE MOODY BLUES proud. It transitions to the epic song "Nighthawk", a 14-minute journey that starts with some distant guitars and center stage bass lines. It slowly and methodically takes you into the depths of melancholy and never lets go. It has some of the more aggressive passages of the album filled with screams and chaotic drumming/guitars and only lets you take your breath with a crescendo of feedback that slowly dissipates.

Overall, I can say this never really does not disappoint. They have a great heavy sound with so much heart and soul in the vocals. I strongly recommend checking this album out. <