“This is a song for when you begrudge the sun rising, the coming of another day. When you curse the sky and the sun hanging in it. It sets the tone for the album quite aptly, I think” So says Witchsorrow guitarist/vocalist Necroskull, by way of introducing “Aurora Atra”, an eight-minute, epic exercise in straight-up doom.
“Aurora Atra” is plucked from the English trio’s forthcoming album, God Curse Us, out in the US on 3rd July through Metal Blade/Rise Above. Of course, Necroskull didn’t know that this exclusive stream was going to run on a Monday, but there you go: that’s providence for you. And it’s kinda neat when the Deciblog’s streaming cup overfloweth with morose vibes to toast the start of the working work.
Doom metal’s evolutionary trajectory has vectored off into all manner of weird directions, the genre compartmentalized into sub-sub-genres each bound by their own internal logic and aesthetic rule book, blah blah blah… And that’s cool and all. But it’s equally important that bands such as Witchsorrow champion doom’s archetypal morbid value system of slow-coach Sabbath riffs and moribund world outlook a la Electric Wizard, Reverand Bizarre, etc. Witchsorrow are a trio of traditionalists whose sound has been reared on the fundamentals.
God Curse Us was recorded at Foel Studios, somewhere way beyond the middle of nowhere, rural Wales. For Necroskull it was the perfect place to ignore the trappings and distractions of the modern world. It was just the band, large amps, a cat, and producer and doom specialist Chris Fielding (Electric Wizard, Primordial) to get it all on tape. The whole writing and recording process was as free-range and organic as doom gets.
Necroskull told the Deciblog back in April: “There is nothing to do apart from record music, which is really cool. I think the other thing is, having that kind of American Werewolf in London vibe—‘cos it is kinda creepy there at night—just adds to it, you feel a little bit small, getting swallowed up by all this countryside, valleys.”
And, so, here it is, “Aurora Atra”. Press play and get swallowed up:
Witchsorrow “Aurora Atra” by Decibel Magazine
**You can pre-order God Curse Us here.**
