The term ‘“Slow Burn” can invoke a certain negative connotation at times, especially in a world increasingly more and more rapid-paced. However, All Them Witches manage to hone in on the positive aspects of it on their sixth studio release House of Mirrors. Opening with the ethereal 6½ minute ‘Red Rocking Chair’, All Them Witches give the listener a chance to sit and prepare for the fuzz-laden blues solos of guitarist Ben McLeod and the suitable business of new drummer Christian Powers. Vocalist and Bassist Charles Michael Park Jr. croons over songs that consistently toe the line of about to push into overdrive, and keyboardist Allan Van Cleave creates a level of space and texture that allows the group to truly come together with the album that was a tour before it became a record.
Spanning the genre spectrum from blues to rock to stoner to psychedelic, All Them Witches effortlessly dance around a sound both familiar and still unique to them. Songs like ‘Hold Up, Say What?’ will up the pace and deliver a boost of energy to then carry that energy through the melancholic nature of ‘Go-Getter’. Songs like ‘Starting Line’ harken to the dark Americana vibes of Harley Poe or Amigo the Devil, and the closing song ‘Saturn Song’ is one of the better album closers this year. House of Mirrors will go down in their catalogue as another worthy offering and everyone should take the time to bask in its fuzzy melancholy.
Rating: 74/100
Favorite Songs: Aethernet – Hold Up, Say What? – Saturn Song
