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HARSH DEATH
Curse Of The Witches

F.U.K. Productions (2023)
Rating: 8/10

I certainly did not see this one coming! Curse Of The Witches is the incredible debut full-length album from Italian doom metal act Harsh Death, a wondrously delightful and haunting slab of Gothic creepiness awash with maniacal vocal diversity alongside its more characteristic commands.

The opening song ‘Orion Wars’ is a gem of a track. In fact it’s a mesmeric slice of horror metal dripping with haunting vocals, lumbering with ancient riffs and squirming with bluesy riffs. It’s killer dooooom, as simple as that. ‘Macabre Rooms’ is a tad more up-tempo and more underground in its feel and the vocal warbles of AnnieCee, but the vibe in general is one that bridges the gap between a snarling garage rock, a punk attitude and traditional doom aesthetics. However, ‘Hide In Hell’ has a gleaming starkness to its spine, existing in fact like some cold, rainy black metal drone injected with a slick solo from Giovanna Garbi.

For 36 minutes one cannot help become riveted by this slightly oddball journey into the psyche of this interesting band. The pitch black traipse of ‘Pretty Kill’ is downright sinister yet almost conflicted by the lighter, higher pitched vocal tones, while the cover rendition of Grim Reaper’s ‘See You In Hell’ is also admirable.

Harsh Death is a very interesting brood that comes highly recommended to anyone who likes slightly unorthodox doom.

Neil Arnold

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