All Them Witches Lose A Bit Of Steam In "ATW"

All Them Witches is usually a band you can’t go wrong with. You can slap on a record and get ready to jam, expecting a wild, rocking record with its slow moments and high moments building a bigger story. You get all of that on this record, but… not how you’d want it. All Them Witches lose a bit of steam in ATW, losing a bit of energy early on in the record.

The start of ATW is pretty underwhelming. Opening track ‘Fishbelly 86 Onions‘ gets the record off with a bad taste in your mouth. It’s very strange and just sounds like a bunch of gibberish and random jamming. There’s no reason for it, and it seems to get off on a bad note. ‘Workhorse‘ picks up with a bit more energy, its folkier atmosphere allowing for a more agreeable track, but ultimately still unable to really get the album going. ‘1st Vs. 2nd‘ keeps that energy alive as the record begins to settle in, before the softer ‘Half-Tongue‘ follows. ‘Diamond‘ is the last track to not make a huge impact, its heavier delivery adding some drive but overall it just sort of drones on and goes nowhere.

It’s at the end of ATW where things begin making a difference. ‘Harvest Feast‘ brings this slow, bluesy vibe to it that All Them Witches knows how to do so well, some great guitar work coming in at the end of the track. ‘Hjtc‘ continues with the same slow atmosphere, but this time with more intimacy. It’s a lot more personal and quiet in that secretive way that makes its atmosphere so closely knit. Closing track ‘Rob’s Dream' is a nice blend of everything, All Them Witches closing ATW with a cool build-up.

All Them Witches lose a bit of steam in ATW, not delivering all they could at the start of the album before making up for it at the very end. Unfortunately too much of the start of the record is too weak to justify the rest of it, but All Them Witches at least gets back on their feet by the end of the album.

Favorite Track: Rob’s Dream

Least Favorite Track: Diamond

Rating: 71 / 100

Stream or buy ATW on Apple Music, and follow our 2018 Playlist on Spotify: