Death Metal trio WITCH HUNT calls Portland, Oregon, USA, their home. They formed in 2012, originally as a duo. The released an EP in 2014, and a full length in 2016. "Poisoned Blood" is the latest EP, and contains five tracks. Death Metal is certainly a genre that is flourishing today. It is also a genre that has been around for some time as well. Though the boundary limitations are narrow, fans eat up the super-heavy and brutal sounds, and connect with the oft lyrical themes about death, religion, the occult, and generally the darker side of humanity. Distinguishing oneself however from the many, many bands out there playing this style of music can be a daunting task. Consider the product. I like my Death Metal served as raw and bloody as the next chap, but a side dish of something unique/unexpected is always welcomed. Let's get to the EP now.

"Intro" is a nice start. There are some evil sounds bubbling in the background...some thunder, lightning, and moans from tortured souls. The production is fuzzy, yet very fitting, and the screeching guitar leads are like razors over your skin. The main riff is eerie and hard hitting. "Doomed in the Realm of the Dead" is the first track with vocals, though I would use that term fairly loosely. They are ultra-deep grunts of indiscernible words, which of course is not uncommon in the style. The sound has an uncanny way of harkening you back to the early days of Metal, when crystal clear production was just not available to many underground bands. You can surely appreciate it though as it keeps the product raw and filthy, as death itself is.

"Circle of Blood" is mid-tempo song with drawn out vocal vomits and some shifting riffage that ends with an anguished moan, sounding like the last gasp from a dying man. "Accursed Temple of the Great Deceiver" hears the pace quicken but the ultra-low instrumentation continues. So far they aren't bringing a lot of variegate to the EP but again, traditions can run deep in this genre. "Fevers of Torment" closes the album. It is a slow burn rather than a quick explosion; a lumbering affair that allows the elements of horror to slowly envelope you. Torment is so much better done this way, right? Overall, the EP has promise, but didn't cover any new ground in the genre or really distinguish itself from others as I mentioned before. The brutality is there, and the evil sound, but beyond that not much else.