AN NCS EP PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): ATOMIC WITCH — “DEATH, SEX, AND SATAN”

 

When we last checked in with Atomic Witch at our putrid site, about 14 months ago, the occasion was a premiere of the title track from their first EP, Void Curse. It caused us to conclude that the long-time disciples of the Cleveland metal and hardcore scene who formed Atomic Witch picked a damned good band name. As we wrote then, that EP “couples the wild radioactive energy of a runaway nuclear meltdown with the weird and witchy feeling of a supernatural orgy”. Together, those four tracks were supercharged with furious, pulse-pounding energy, head-spinning instrumental changes, and unhinged vocal intensity. The genre-bending music created a maniacal atmosphere, whole-heartedly indulging in a musical blood-spraying riot from beginning to end.

Now, 14 months later, the band’s label Seeing Red Records is on the verge of releasing a new Atomic Witch EP, entitled Death, Sex, and Satan. They picked Halloween as the release date (tomorrow!), for reasons that will become obvious when you find out what they’ve done — and yes, you can find out right away, because we’re premiering a full stream of the whole thing.

 

 

What Atomic Witch have done on Death, Sex, and Satan is to compile three cover songs — and a wild selection it is: They’ve picked songs by W.A.S.P., Deicide, and Faith No More. Before we offer our own thoughts on what they’ve done with this eclectic bunch of tracks, let’s begin by sharing what Atomic Witch has to say about it:

Much like a rotten, toxic, deranged and rabid sewer rat, Cleveland’s Atomic Witch is hard to categorize and even harder to hunt down and kill.

The sickness of the world at large has only strengthened the Witch, who took time while vomiting forth a full-length slab of misery to pump out a EP that gives insight into the blood soaked roots of their shape-shifting brand of atypical and amorphous heavy metal tinged death thrash.

Through covering three wildly different songs, Atomic Witch takes time to worship the old gods while lifting the cosmic veil on the inception of their unique and uncompromising sound. Though the songs will sound familiar, the stench of vomit, piss, and blood that Atomic Witch leaves upon their very core reeks fresh and pungent above all else.

A perfect aural accompaniment of the impending witching hour, Death, Sex, and Satan drops Halloween Night to infest and infect. May the full moon unleash the beast inside us all.

 

Atomic Witch start off with a faithful cover of W.A.S.P.’s “Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)”. The fiery darting riff and rumbling rhythms will get your pulse jumping right away, the gritty screaming vocals sound demonic — and they also send the song wailing up into the stratosphere in a very good facsimile of Blackie Lawless. As icing on the case, the band’s guitarist Destroyer turns in a spitfire solo.

The thrill-ride continues when the band move into Deicide’s “When Satan Rules His World”, and Atomic Witch again provide a faithful cover of this piece of highly addictive evil too, albeit without trying to mimic the vocals. It’s an absolutely vicious and electrifying rendition of this classic, and features yet another pair of white-hot guitar solos.

Of course, Faith No More’s “Surprise! You’re Dead!” is just as infectious as the first two songs Atomic Witch chose for this EP, and just as sulphurous and carnal in its own way. The band  punch out a short, sharp killer of a cover, with a few twists of their own and vocals that are once again rabid and electrifying (and would make Mike Patton proud).

All together, the three tracks will make a fine soundtrack for whatever you have in mind for Halloween — human sacrifice, fucking around with pentagrams, or just fucking. You listen to this enough times and you probably won’t even need to drink, and just think how much better you’ll feel on Sunday morning!

 

Death, Sex, and Satan was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Atomic Witch, and Greg Fate concocted the cover art. This will be a digital release from Seeing Red, and you can pre-order it now so it will pop into your hands (figuratively speak) just in time to get fucked up for Halloween:

PRE-ORDER:
https://atomicwitch-us.bandcamp.com/album/death-sex-and-satan

ATOMIC WITCH:
https://www.facebook.com/ATOMICWITCH