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SLEEPING WITH THE WITCH
Acid Bender

Self-released (2025)
Rating: 6/10

This looks like an annoying stoner album, but it’s not. Acid Bender is the second full-length from Tuscon, Arizona-based groove metallers Sleeping With The Witch.

Thrash overtones are present, especially on the infectious title track with its hasty start. Vocally, there’s a deathly grunt style from Bo Barrow, although he also fits into that Phil Anselmo (Pantera) category of being confrontational and muscular with the chops.

There’s some seriously heavy riffage on offer here too, the tone drifting from a mid-90s brand of chugging, immediately apparent on album opener ‘Reprobator’. I’m generally okay with this sort of stuff, but it tends to wear off very quickly due to being so generic. Having said that, the Slayer-esque opening to ‘Nothing Left’ and the subsequent groove gets the foot tapping, and the doomy nature of ‘Rotting’ also appeals greatly.

There’s certainly a level of intrigue here, the guys obviously have extra in the tank and I’d like to see them diversify their sound more with coming releases. Sleeping With The Witch obviously knows how to thrash, just check out the wild escapades which open ‘Corpse Runner’ and the rugged stance of ‘Sail To Kill’.

I guess I’ll never fully be on board with albums of this kind because it is such an exhausted style, but for a quick dose of in-your-face thrashing, I’ll tag along.

Neil Arnold

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