Mark Greening, former drummer for Electric Wizard, Ramesses and With The Dead, has returned with this newly formed occult doom metal outfit. So after the controversy and lawsuit following his second departure from Wizard, it’s baffling that his new project, which labels itself a supergroup, looks and sounds like a tribute to his former band. Recorded in the same studio as Dopethrone, the music, lyrics and even songtitles suggest an uninspired imitation of both that landmark album and the current incarnation of Electric Wizard and is likely to cause more conflict with his former bandmates.
Dead Witches are fronted by Virginia Monti of Italian proto-doom coven Psychedelic Witchcraft, but her usually rich and sultry performance has been dropped in favour of a bland Jus Oborn-style sneering delivery, which is buried under an overruling drum sound. Greening may have played a vital part in Wizard’s development and his talents grace the band’s most celebrated material, but revisiting old ground is a sad example of wasted potential from some very talented musicians.
