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WITCHING HOUR “Descending… Where Time Has Ceased to Exist”
WITCHING HOUR “Descending… Where Time Has Ceased to Exist”
By Theron Moore
Germany’s WITCHING HOUR are gearing up to drop their fourth full-length record, “Descending… Where Time Has Ceased to Exist”, May 22 via Dying Victims Productions. Unfortunately, I don’t have many — if any at all — positive things to say about this release.
WITCHING HOUR starts the record off with a melodic(-ish) piano instrumental that goes electric about midway through and, well, I’m not quite sure where it goes from there. Here’s what I can tell you: this is NOT the way to start a record. It might’ve been a better idea to make it the outro to “Descending… Where Time Has Ceased to Exist”.
There are a lot of problems with this record. First, the vocals need a lot of work. There were times listening to “Where Time Has Ceased To Exist,” that I felt like I was going to cease to exist myself. The intro to this song is incredibly long — longer than it should be. When the vocals finally kick in, it sounds like a pitchy, sad alternate-reality version of VENOM’s Cronos trying to belt out the lyrics without bursting into tears.
Second, and most importantly, WITCHING HOUR has a huge identity problem. Are they speed metal, thrash, or trying to work in elements of doom metal? I have no idea who this band is. One minute they sound like they’re moving in a thrash direction, then it clicks over into some other territory that sounds like a mashup of ’90s alt rock, doom metal, and bad IRON MAIDEN.
Lastly, there’s nothing — no lyrics, no music on this record — pulling me into it. Nothing unique, nothing brutal, nothing interesting. Nothing, nothing, and well… nothing.
Not for me. “Descending… Where Time Has Ceased to Exist” is a full-on swing and a miss, and there’s nothing positive I really care to say about it. God bless WITCHING HOUR, and if they’re selling records to their fanbase and making a living as a band, more power to ’em. Not recommending this record.
1/5 Stars
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