Album Review: Atomic Witch - Death Etiquette
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Atomic Witch are a new one to me, but that’s part of the fun in discovering new bands; you never know which might be the next that drive you into a frenzy. The band originally formed under the name of Bulk & Skull in 2012 out of Ohio, United States, sporting a blackened thrash/death metal attack which saw two EPs, both of which released the following year. But by 2016 the band ultimately changed their name, now Atomic Witch, and were soon releasing Singles, a Split, EPs, all the way leading up to 2022 and their first full length record: Crypt Of Sleepless Malice. Set for around Two with Redefining Darkness Records the band are primed to unveil their sophomore album release: Death Etiquette. With a July 25th release date in mind, this was my first opportunity to gauge Atomic Witch’s prospects, and what their take on thrash/death metal would hold for a wider audience.
I appreciate how the vocals hold nothing back, even into the earliest seconds of the record the deliveries are seeking your head and even beyond that. Rather than performing vocals targeting the audience alone, like a theatre performance you feel they’re aiming for the people right in the far back, upper tiers of the crowd so no-one feels left out. In fact the vocals within remind me greatly of Havok where there’s that crunching, snarling tone though their frontman’s voice doesn’t feel so changed from how he may speak in regular conversation. One could say it gives Atomic Witch a more organic sound since we recognise they don’t need to establish some persona to represent who they are. But you also have this more high-pitched delivery that bleeds into the primary performance; these instances are sporadic but they do infer a more razor-bladed texture wherein their record may appear conventional from the outset but it’s not going to play nice with you.
I adore just how unapologetically fast Atomic Witch play too. Granted, Death Etiquette doesn’t have a lot of time to work with, not even half an hour, thus Atomic Witch don’t have time as a luxury to work with; they have to get to the meat and bones of their performance sooner rather than later. As you continue listening, you’ll pick up on how rapidly their songwriting develops, how quickly riffs and licks change up into the next phase. This isn’t the kind of record where they’ll employ a slower sequence or include more nuanced pieces for the sake of variety. Atomic Witch provide what you’re looking for, with solos, speed and bite in tow. But we must remember this is a thrash/death metal work so when blast beats come into the fray it shouldn’t come as surprise, though it is a welcome implementation, heightening their intensity all the more.
I think the guitar tone adopted is perfect for Atomic Witch’s performance. This record reminds me of the thrash I started discovering back in the early 2010s when I looked to branch out some more; it’s got this thin yet eviscerating quality whereby you could almost touch it though by risk of losing your fingers in the process of its motion. As tracks develop and play with rapid-fire strength you’ll find their riffs have a considerable lack of resonance whereby once a chord or note is played, it doesn’t carry over to the next sequence. Now as a result this ensures the record doesn’t harness anything atmospheric as it won’t permeate anything booming, but it does guarantee Atomic Witch have this more punching, blunt force impact. This is thrash that gets to the point and isn’t concerned with loftier themes or socio-political ideology (or at least it doesn’t force them down our throats).
In addition, we must commend Atomic Witch for keeping their songwriting grounded and not even attempt to vie for thrash that isn’t what it promises to be from the start. There is variety in tempo now and again but these moments are few, there is some leeway in what the drums offer as some more intricate patterns rear themselves, but Atomic Witch otherwise forgo more complex approaches to thrash and opt to write, perform and then record music in a style you will have heard a hundred times over. Some would instantly decry Atomic Witch for being basic, for being rudimentary given the lack of nuance in their performance, but I’d argue that against the plethora of bands seeking to do just that, they actually stand out by writing thrash that’s not only expected but has been done to a great standard. When people claim conventional thrash is lacking spice it’s not because thrash as it is is bland, it’s when bands have written conventional thrash and it’s been done poorly, and then you have copies of copies of such records. When an act like Atomic Witch play something within Death Etiquette it’s refreshing given the band play with just the singular goal in mind of destroying you. Yes, this album isn’t even thirty minutes long but that simply means the band aren’t messing around nor are they wasting any second of your time when you could spend it with another record.
In conclusion, one could say that they haven’t heard anything from Atomic Witch they’ve otherwise heard a hundred times before, but in the context of the modern extreme metal scene that might be a blessing in disguise. As aforementioned the band haven’t included anything ascertaining to lofty or more suave ideas, their primary prerogative has been to write music that’s fun and memorable and wicked to experience. Those elements more than any in thrash are what drive people back to thrash records, it’s why people have flocked again and again to classic thrash works across the decades. I also feel like second and third listens to Death Etiquette will in fact reveal more to audiences they missed the first time round. Though this is a thrash record that doesn’t try to be anything but it engages and entertains for its full duration, and its short runtime means we don’t need to invest huge swathes of time into their work. Should audiences want more nuanced or mature thrash they know where to go but if you’re after a record that will faceplant you without mercy or reason then Atomic Witch is a bonafide band to be with.
