WITCH CASKET is a blackened death metal quintet based out of LA. The group got their start back in 2013, and recently released their first taste of music to the world through an EP titled "Hatred Index." Most of the instrumentation is performed by Colin "Nylock" Cameron, who provides the guitars, keys, drums, and orchestration. The orchestration isn't too prominent in the music, but provides some interesting dynamics during particular sections throughout the album. DEVILDRIVER guitarist Neal Tiemann, who was once an official member according to Metal-Archives, also served as a session guitarist on the EP.

The album is hard-hitting straight out of the gate. The opening song and title-track "Hatred Index" begins in a black metal frenzy with pummeling blast beats and blackened death metal vocals. Certain parts are definitely more death metal oriented than others, but there's a good dose of black metal thrown in as well. "That Damn Devil" starts with a driving bass riff that leads the rest of the band in. Nylock performs an intriguing guitar solo that's probably the highlight of the song, but there's also an interesting use of bells towards the end that gives the song an apocalyptic feel to it. The EP's closer track "The True Knot" is probably my favorite altogether. It's contains a culmination of elements heard throughout the album, including some intriguing guitar solos, large orchestration, and heavy sections weaved in with harmonious melodic parts that lead to an epic conclusion.

For me, the most impressive part about the band is the guitar work. More specially, they have some nice harmonizing sections and interesting solos. The band is certainly good at what they do, but aren't necessarily covering any new ground that hasn't been explored before. The drums and vocals suit the music well, but I would've liked to hear them execute some more unique parts to set them aside from their contemporaries. Still, the music has the capability of appealing to many extreme metal fans and is worth giving a listen or two at least.