<p>This review was going to be a week late for Halloween, even if it was posted last week as I originally planned it. But then my house was struck by a lightning and I lost all kinds of power and electronic devices, and it wasn't even that strong of a storm. Must have been some witch's work, so going back and reviewing the debut by our northern border neighbors from Michigan <b>Acid Witch</b> is still appropriate. Hey, for some of us Halloween is daily, and for doom/black/death/anything extreme crew <b>Acid Witch</b>, October 31 is certainly a date on a calendar not to be missed.</p>
<p>With <i>Witchtanic Hellucinations</i> <b>Acid Witch</b> certainly broke the mold and brewed together a sickly cobble, which was just as entertaining as it generated questions whether it should have been taken seriously. At least that is the impression I always had about this album. 13 tracks, the original release planned for Halloween 2008, everything speaks to that effect. Tongue-in-cheek deathly humor, promulgated after some illicit substances have been ingested, that is how <i>Witchtanic Hellucinations</i> can be explained the best. Somewhat cartoonish and B-side horror movie atmosphere firmly established, cuts like <i>Into the Cave</i>, title track and <i>Cauldron Cave</i> have <b>Black Sabbath</b>/<b>Incantation</b> riffs combined with hippy-trippy distorted stretches, which can only come after some deep bong puffs. Michigan didn't vote on marijuana legalization in the most recent elections, but the title track cubic riffs underpinning Jon Lord keys hint that they should have. Keys and samples on the album are used in spots, but very effectively, making the song titles almost literate (<i>Swamp Spells</i>). <i>Blood Cult</i>, <i>Cauldron Cave</i> and instrumental <i>Realm of the Wicked</i> take the samples into grotesque <b>King Diamond</b> territory, but on this album this does not seem out of place. Hell, wah-wah Flower Power effects on <i>The Black Witch</i> are not out of place on this album either. Pretty much anything goes, including longing sludgy <b>Earth</b> or <b>Sleep</b>-like drone of <i>Beastly Brew</i> and doomy as hell <i>Broomstick Bitch</i>. Despite vocals almost always coming from the bottom of the grave, <b>Acid Witch</b> demonstrate that nice melody is not foreign to them on the closer <i>October 31st</i>, and I always thought that the riffs in <i>Witches Tits</i> (the title says it all about how serious these dudes are) are distorted and overly slowed down <i>Blood of Heroes</i> from <b>Megadeth</b>'s <i>Youthanasia</i>. Let me know if I am right in that estimate.</p>
<p>From the spooky to the hilarious, <i>Witchtanic Hellucinations</i> is the record ingested best after you down several drinks of a questionable origin at your local dirtiest establishment. Hopefully they will have a stage for <b>Acid Witch</b> to climb on afterwards.</p>
