Review: Space Witch ‘Mountains Of Neptune’
Before you press play and listen to the latest doom masterpiece from one of Stoke-on-Trent’s finest, Space Witch, make sure you are sat in the dark, preferably alone and turn it up as loud as possible, because this is one journey you won’t forget in a hurry.
I’ve seen Space Witch live many times over the years, most recently at last year’s North West Doom Fest and it was great to have a brief catch up with Daz Rowlands, guitarist extraordinaire and the mainstay of the band throughout the many changes they’ve had over the years.
Mountains Of Neptune marks the return of the band, with their first release in nearly eight years and it’s a thirty-seven-minute-long instrumental track that messes with your head from start to finish.
What astonishes me the most with long songs like this, is how on earth the musicians remember where they are at any moment in time. The amount of tempo changes, drum fills, guitar parts, bass lines and whatever else they’ve thrown into the melting pot would totally confuse me, as the track moves and sways effortlessly.
The opening sequence is dark and mysterious, a tripped-out moment in time, where you can feel a surge of energy on each downstroke being played. They weave fuzzed out groovy soundscapes with an intensity that is audibly pleasing and has noises that sound like fireworks being rocketed into the gloomy Staffordshire nights. They bounce and reverberate around the speakers with such regularity that it’ll have your head on a swivel wondering what’s coming next.
an imposing piece of music that offers little respite but will keep you enthralled…
There’s a momentary pause around the eight minute mark as a slower pace emerges from the shadows, albeit very briefly, before the battering ram approach intensifies further and the next chapter begins. The track is bold and unpredictable, and that’s what makes it a joy to listen to. Poetically, it feels like five stanzas gelled together seamlessly and it’s an imposing piece of music that offers little respite but will keep you enthralled throughout.
There’s a softer, gentler element in the middle section that fades away, lost amongst the noises created by Rowlands on his vast array of pedals, but it doesn’t lose any of the vibrancy for one moment. It takes you into new hidden depths, with the rhythm section carrying the music along exquisitely. I was expecting a crescendo, an explosion or an eruption of sorts, but it doesn’t need one as all the parts are harmoniously aligned.
They get darker, heavier, meaner as it nears the end, with those same off shoots of sporadic space noises inflicting more provocation for your brain to cope with. That slow inspiring doom tempo only serves to amplify their music further, and brings about more joyous moments for me, as it all adds to the development of the track and confirms what a superb piece of music this is.
Label: Independent
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Matthew Williams
