Witching confront tumultuous past, set fires for better future with blackened opus ‘Incendium’

It’s easy to get caught in self-destructive patterns when our worst inhibitions get the best of us or when we’re just so deep into the doldrums that it’s hard to pull back out again. It’s a cycle that easily can claim a person, relegating one to a life where catching up and trying to survive can feel like too much, where going off the deep end can seem the easier option. Fighting back takes a lot of strength and support.

That brings us to “Incendium,” the thunderous second record from Philly’s Witching and one that sheds those harmful ways and tries to fight for a better future. The title is a Latin term for fire, heat, and passion, and the music and the words penned by vocalist Jacqui Powell look back on a life that was on the path to mental and physical self-destruction and aims to set that past ablaze in an effort to carve a brighter, healthier future. You can hear that in these devastating seven tracks as the band—it is rounded out by guitarist/vocalist Nate Zagrimanis, guitarist Hazel Whitman, bassist Tatiana Buonassisi, drummer Samantha Hyle (though on the record Lev Ziskind plays second guitar and Miles Ziskind plays drums)—operates on a path to destruction that is turned inward so that the demons can die in their own fires. There’s a noticeable uptick in black metal tendencies on this album, but their penchant for doom certainly is front and present, Powell sounding like an even greater and stronger force than before.

“Last You, Fell From Divinity” drips in cleanly, teasing tranquility, before the center point explodes, shrieks raining down and tearing limbs from bodies. The playing is storming and vile, the pace twisting and contorting, delivering black metal-style energy that seeks to maim. “What do you want with me, I beg you to never torment me,” Powell howls as the chaos picks up, storming and burning out suddenly.  “From Beneath” trudges as the noise glows, thick doom collecting as the singing bellows. The playing slowly batters before going cold, letting the drizzle chill your entire body, calls aching in the distance. The playing then punches harder, darkness surrounds, and fierce shrieks dig back into wounds, only to leave salt behind. The title track dawns amid a great riff, snarling shrieks, and aggression that takes you to the ground. “The inside out, I can feel this beckoning me, do what you want,” Powell wails as the guitars crush, getting fiery and brutal, snapping with hellish energy, melodies crashing down as the intensity strangles and fades in glowing embers.

“A Grave Mistake” opens splattering before Powell angles into cleaner singing, hitting you right in the gut. The force turns blistering and exciting, whispers circling through the air, increasing the mystical feel that is stretched by thorns. Gritty howls blast as the playing speeds up noticeably, ending in a manic surge. “Prowling Oblivion” begins serenely, letting prettier sounds and patterns have their turn, but it’s temporary. The guitars heat up, and we’re face to face with the storm, the melodies blackening and warping, making your adventure even bumpier as Powell cries, “Madness consumes, and I know they are watching.” The violent fury continues from there, burying your face in soot. “Damnation” enters in a fog, the playing more vulnerable as the pain drips from every crevice. Powell’s singing is smokier, mixing clean calls with gritty growls. The bass buzzes as the song slowly builds, a doomy burst taking you down, melodies soaring as the shrieks penetrate. “My love rips throats to escape evil hands, shy and as weak as a lamb, you were my friend, we shoved them down into the ground,” Powell strikes, the darkness pounding away, melting and overwhelming, slowly disappearing into the ground. Closer “So Young, So Useless” rampages with smoke and a channeled chaos, the savagery stabbing hard, black metal ore coating and consuming bodies. “God knows why you’re no friend of mine, look what you brought, the fire, why oh why, look what you’ve done,” Powell howls desperately as a doomy pall hangs over everything, the playing rumbling in your belly, the pain and scorn evident as the devastation bleeds.

“Incendium” lays waste to the past, to unhealthy patterns, to the people we once were, and in its place ate strength and new life that only is achievable through ashes. All of that is evident when experiencing Witching in their current form, a band that plies so many different metallic layers of expression that you’re spent once the record ends. This is a huge step forward from their admittedly killer debut record, where we encounter a band that sees itself clearer, has a defined path, and will spill blood in order to get where they need to go.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/witchingband

To buy the album, go here: https://translationloss.com/collections/witching-incendium

For more on the label, go here: https://translationloss.com/