Review Summary: An impressive debut for a band with a lot of potential.
Technicality in metalcore is a polarizing topic. While some fans thoroughly enjoy the non-stop harmonized leads, clear audio quality and time signature changes of bands like
Between the Buried and Me, others tend to gravitate more towards simpler riffs and sludgy production values for a heavier experience. Often times, bands that are new to the scene take note of this and try way too hard to incorporate as much of the opposite approaches as they can to appeal to a wider audience. This is also an easy way to make disjointed, scattered music that doesn't really have a sound of its own. Fortunately for
Witch of the Waste, this is not the case. For a band that has naught but
All Other Voices to its discography, they have managed to push away from the norm and set a foundation for an individual sound going forward.
The band does a great job of balancing heaviness and technicality without letting one side overpower the other. While each member has their own positive contributions and highlights, vocalist Ryan Fitzgerald is the highlight of the EP and stands out among a crowd of generic harsh vocalists. His delivery is succinct and ferocious, combined with an excellent range of shrieks and guttural roars. The instrument work is powerful as well, mixing crunchy riffs with complex drum patterns and never straying too far into the ever-so-tempting realm of unnecessary technicality. The high point on the EP is “Candlejack”, a three-minute aural assault featuring the best of what
Witch of the Waste has to offer as a group.
While this is the band’s first material made available for purchase, they have been making music and honing their craft since 2009. As such, they sound significantly more polished than many of their peers and are beginning to gain an underground following. Though some of the songs are difficult to distinguish from others, this will be remedied as the band matures and grows together as a group. With an engaging debut like
All Other Voices to get them started, the future is bright for
Witch of the Waste and they are definitely a band to keep an eye on in the coming years.
