An Interview with Cryptic Witch

A brand-new album from Cryptic Witch just dropped today and this thing is absolutely massive as it ranges elements of melodic metal, doom rock, experimental metal, death, blackened, and just all this fierceness rolled up into one fat album that spans a massive 45 minutes and with each track giving off a personality that's its own.

The Eons of Chaos record wastes very little time with its intro track,"...It Comes from Below," which, by the way, is almost 9 minutes in length.

This is a damn near perfect introduction to the record because not only does it display a lot of the staples that you're going to hear as the record on folds but it showcases that super vast and expansive underbelly that a lot of these songs portray and this is one of the heaviest elements of the entire thing because, it pulls you into their atmosphere.

Once you're in this atmosphere, you simply don't want to leave and there's almost no escape because again, these tracks are pretty fat. 6 minutes to 9 minutes as I mentioned before while the second half have songs that are a little shorter and more to the point but, either way, you're getting this great sort of jams that take you deep into thick laid riffs, edgy doomish and blackened classic metal, but also this sort of gothic theme that it follows.

One of my favorite aspects of this entire record is the drumming. The drums really drive these songs through the roof and push the envelope so they can reach that pinnacle of intensity that they're supposed to have.

It also has this almost live performance feeling to it. These songs put you right there in the moment to an extent.

It's almost like this band just recorded everything live on the floor and it gives the aesthetic of everyone feeding off of each other's energies the whole time so that the songs have a sort of alive and breathing feel to them.

Songs like "Eons of Chaos/Starkiller" are an absolutely perfect example of exactly that. You can feel that energy in your bones and it comes through as electric and thriving while the guitars have thick and almost invasive guitar tone that is sharp but has that heavy bottom end as well and there's always a set of riffs that are widened and give the songs these distanced feels like you're trudging through a foot of snow in the middle of winter.

You just get that trudging feeling, and I love that because it helps provide the atmosphere I mentioned earlier. There are layers of texture and melody that come together here, and all have this kind of hot to them.

Again, there is a bit of a gothic undertone, and I love the almost ritualistic metal approach that this delivers.

I think different people will soak in the music in their own way, but for me, this was kind of like a concept album. The songs have ways of interconnecting with each other, and this is 100% the kind of record that you listen to from beginning to end.

You don't skip around on this record. You listen to it like you would read a book or watch a film. Each of the songs serves as a chapter in that book, and you don't want to skip that.

There are plenty of surprises around the corners, and the vocal approach is fierce, robust, and aggressive, which is part of what delivers that death metal element that I mentioned earlier. A lot of that actually comes from the vocal approach more than anything else.

Sometimes the vocals are screeching and screaming with that death metal feel, but other times the vocals are soulful and robust with this classic rock style as well. You can tell that bands like Black Sabbath have an influence here, but there's also a slew of others that really helped feed this band into becoming what they are.

This was an absolute soiree of heavy rock with that doom underbelly always evident, but with elements of the other harsher and more soulful styles embedded in its veins.

By the time you get halfway through the record, you begin to expect the unexpected a bit.

I love listening to a band like this one because when you hear the record, you automatically realize seeing them live would be amazing.

It's not often you come across a band like that, but when you do, you absolutely know it.

Cryptic Witch is one of those bands. There's no question in my mind about that.

If this band could capture the kind of aesthetic and energy that they do on record, then seeing them live must be a complete face-melter.

That's the kind of show I want to see when it comes from a heavy-handed doom metal and soulful rock banger of a band like this one.

This album delivers from beginning to end, and anyone who loves experimental, slightly psychedelic, heavy-handed doom, metal, and Stoner rock, will fall in love with this right off the bat.

There's no way in hell you're getting let down by this record in any way, shape, or form.

This whole band displays a true love for their craft, and that shines through along with their presence as a band with every single song.

With the release of such a massive record, we wanted to chat with them to find out where this all actually came from and what might be happening next for the band.

Buzz Slayers: Hey guys! Thanks for taking some time with us! I wanted to start with the Eons of Chaos album! This record is a massive, deepening, and sonically intense record! Where did this record come from?

Tom: Eons is the second chapter in a story that spans across a few albums. I had this idea of the witch being this otherworldly force, our karmic reckoning. Lyrically we're telling a story of our end as species and we wanted the music to really reflect that heaviness and brutality as well.

Conor: A handful of these songs were actually written shortly after or during the writing for the last record, Summoning. Over time we’ve refined the sound and in general wanted to take the cohesive concept album idea even further.

Pat: The world’s a pretty wild place right now. 

Buzz Slayers: I am hearing several heavy styles on this album! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

Tom: Frank Zappa, Terry Kath, Acid Bath, Boris, Darkthone, Alice in Chains, Nausea

Conor: Martin Axenrot / Opeth, Carter Beauford / DMB, The Acacia Strain, Fallujah, Northlane

Pat: Wino, the Swampers, New Orleans heavy metal, Stax 

Buzz Slayers: How did this all start for you as a band? When did you get together?

Tom: Conor and I had gotten together in 2021 with another bassist and recorded our first album, Summoning. After he moved away in 2023 we were lucky enough to find Pat who's definitely added his own touch to a lot of the material we already had written.

Buzz Slayers: This felt like a big undertaking! Did it take you long to put this album together?

Tom: I started writing a lot of these riffs as far back as late 2022. We hit a ton of obstacles with this record and we didn't end up recording until late 2024. I think it was all worth it because it gave us time to really refine each song and write a few new ones in the process.

Buzz Slayers: Are you guys performing live or touring now that the record is out?

You can bet your ass we’re going to play as much as we possibly can!

Buzz Slayers: What's next for you as a band?

We have a gig coming up on April 18th at the Creepatorium in Denver right behind the Brutal Poodle, and it’s going to slam. Solid lineup, great jams, great people, bring the noise. We’re going to continue to play great shows and get the record out to the people! In a more grand sense, at least 2 more albums are already in the works. 

Buzz Slayers: Who’s in all your headphones right now?

Tom: Faetooth, Gnome, Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean, Bolt Thrower, MF DOOM, Spectral Voice, Toke

Conor: Steven Wilson - The Overview has been on almost daily

Pat: Chingos! Magic Rockers of Texas, Ghost-Note, Mike Jones, Slift, Noga Erez, early Buddy Guy, Eddie Palmieri’s Lucumi record, Blood Incantation’s new jam and a whole bunch more. Hell yeah. 

Buzz Slayers: Did you record this at a personal studio, or did you go to a big studio for this record?

We went next level for ‘Eons’. Two different amazing studios: Decibel Gardens with Eric Ryan for all the tracking and initial mixing, and the Green Door Recordings with Felipe Patino for revisions and mastering. Both in Denver, and both absolutely killed it. 

Buzz Slayers: Can we expect any music videos coming from you in the near future?

We definitely have a lot of things in mind and hope to have some videos out in the future.

Buzz Slayers: As a band that is making waves, what kind of advice might you give to others trying to get the music out there?

Get yourself a good manager that can handle things while you focus on the music and play live as often as you can. 

Buzz Slayers: Before we go, is there anything you'd like to express to fans of the music?

Thanks for listening, we love y’all! XoXo

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