Album Review: Arch Blade - Kill The Witch
Reviewed by Lana Teramae
Arch Blade are an LA-based heavy metal band that was founded in 2019 by father-and-son guitar duo, Rob V and Big Rob. The lineup also includes Nigel Caicedo on bass guitar, Denys Podmazko on lead vocals, and Al “Mayhem” Mendez on drums. The band’s debut album, Kill the Witch, will be released on July 28, 2023 through Rockshots Records. According to the press release, the album mostly centers around Podmazko’s dreams and nightmares, as well as his interests in comic books, sci-fi, horror movies, and documentaries.
Is Kill the Witch the greatest heavy metal debut of all time? No, it’s not even close. But, there is a lot of potential for this band. Rob V and Big Rob are excellent guitar players, and there are some tremendous riffs on this album. Mendez is an absolute beast on the drums; his drum intro for 'Abduction' is beyond brilliant. Even Caicedo gets his chance to shine on the bass, specifically on the closing track, 'Under the Mask'.
However, one of the biggest problems with Kill the Witch deals with Podmazko’s vocals. His voice lies in the middle between screamo and being tone-deaf. In fact, the best song on the album is 'House of Dreams', a ballad where Podmazko’s vocals are more “laid-back” and not as intense. His vocals are definitely an acquired taste. The same can be said for Rob Halford of Judas Priest, but at least he can sing melodically.
The songwriting is not very good either. Musically, Arch Blade can play their butts off. But, the songs lack direction and they sound like unfinished pieces of art. 'Factory of Sin', for example, had so much potential. It’s groovy, has a great chorus, and a killer guitar riff. But, it ends on an anticlimactic note with the guitar solo, a jam session, and that’s it.
The lyrics for 'Queen of the Damned' are enjoyable, but overall, the song sounds like a big, chaotic mess. The tempo changes back and forward between fast and slow, and the jam sessions are way too long. It’s interesting because for the first half of the tracklist, the longest song is four and a half minutes. But, for the second half of the tracklist, the longest song is almost six minutes. Even if the plan wasn’t to appeal to commercial audiences, it would’ve been nice if the songs were more immediate to attract listeners, instead of testing everyone’s patience levels. The lyrics for most of the tracks are pretty good, but the arrangements are terrible.
The production for Kill the Witch could’ve been better too. The loudest things on the album are Podmazko’s vocals and the drums. In fact, the guitar solos for 'Touched by Death' are barely distinguishable because the drums are so loud. A cleaner and more balanced production would’ve helped greatly.
Again, there’s a lot of potential for Arch Blade. Not every band gets it right on their first album, so maybe their second album will be different.
