Review | All Them Witches continue their stoner prog and swamp blues evolution
All Them Witches add soulful harmonies to their sludgy riffs – signifying a more expansive vision than previous albums
Sleeping Through the War
New West Records
Written in four days and recorded in six, the fourth album from All Them Witches finds the alt-psych rockers from Nashville continuing their musical evolution. The raw, organic mix of stoner prog rock and swampy blues felt at its most natural on 2015’s Dying Surfer Meets His Maker, but less than two minutes into Bulls, the pace-shifting opening track on Sleeping Through the War, the four-piece come together on a thick sludgy riff backed by choral chants. As they break into a rollicking cosmic freefall, it becomes clear that this album possesses a more expansive studio vision. The soulful harmonies continue on the swirling psychedelia of 3-5-7 and the gospel-infused desert campfire jam Alabaster, the quiet-loud groove making bassist/vocalist Charles Michael Parks Jnr sound like a devilish preacher. Closing with the melodic blues trance of Guess I’ll Go Live on the Internet, STTW is an album built on collective confidence and far-ranging intent.