Burned As Witches: Burned As Witches

Album Of The Week!

Downpatrick indie legends Ash are on a high at the moment, still riding the waves with releases that cement them as heroes on our scene. With the 30th anniversary of the brilliant 1977 on the horizon their drummer Rick is going solo in Wu Tang style with a balls out rock record that takes him into a different stratosphere that celebrates his love of all things rock n roll. Wayne AF Carey reviews…

It’s a great doom rock start as Rick goes all Queens Of The Stone Age on opening track Scapegoats with the dirty riffs and great drumming that opens the whole loud bastard like a monster chugging a slow burning spliff. Nice! Hold Your Nerve is a tense claustrophobic fucker with neat riffs and a tight drum riff. A mile away from Ash and some great sound that crashes your skull. It’s the power of the bridge that fucks you up. Rick is showing off his rock power here with the massive riff that drags you in. Pay The Ferry kicks in like Sabbath having a bath with The Beach Boys. Full of melody crashing around your head like a broken biscuit. A nice slice of sleazy rock. As Rick says: “One of the last songs written for the album, this one just tumbled out of my subconscious – I only figured out what it’s about as we were making the video. It’s about innocence in the face of a corrupt, venal world. Is it better to take the red pill and see the world as it is, when you feel so helpless to change it, or the blue pill and remain blissfully unaware of a world that exploits you? Musically it’s the bastard child of Iommi and Page, bringing some Zep swagger to Sabbath’s doom, which somehow manages to conjure an undercurrent of glam.”

Truth Comes Crawling is another dirty number. Filthy riff, stoner vocals and drums to die for. It builds into a lovely piece of naughty rock that just hits you in the nether regions. It’s blast off rock at it’s best with some belting guitars that hark back to Iommi at his best. Come Before The Fall is pure Sabbath. Rick doesn’t hide this fact at all and shows his love throughout. A slow paced cruncher that packs a punch and even has a bit of the old White Zombie in there. Stoner rock at it’s height. Right In Front Of You doesn’t slow down. It starts off like a mad acid trip that builds into a crazy riff that keeps it’s reins on until the drums kick in and builds the whole song into a QOTSA motherfucker of stoner rock. Great riffs and blinding rock music. A Spartan Mass is the Pink Floyd number. A great bit of acoustic guitar with the soothing vocals from Rick that give a bit of the old Ash feeling without trying to be a part of his beloved band. Closing track To The Sky is a seven minute rock motherfucker. Is it a tribute to Ozzy? It certainly sounds like it! The difference here is it’s Rick playing everything on this bastard. A testament to people who say drummers are the back loaders. The beauty on this tune is it goes all doom in the middle and gets stoned towards the end. Like Kurt Vile buying a Sabbath record and going for a five knuckle shuffle. Priceless.

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Words by Wayne Carey, Reviews Editor for Louder Than War. His author profile is here