Atomic Witch – Death Etiquette (Blackened Speed Thrash with Grave Mist)

 

My glowing review of Atomic Witch’s last effort now feels insufficient. Death Etiquette utterly obliterates Crypt of Sleepless Malice, sorry. Where its predecessor hammered with raw, crushing deaththrash, infused with a dose of speed, this album reveals a band far more skilled, artistic, and atmospheric, weaving a richer, more evolved narrative. Three years in the lab clearly forged this leap. If their previous full-length galvanized your personal Frankenstein monster with its untamed alchemical energy, Death Etiquette now crafts crypt fog, slowly coaxing ancient horrors from eternal slumber, for such powerful beings demand a more insidious awakening.

   

While Death Etiquette carries a more subdued production, the multi-colored, vibrant energy of their past isn’t lost; it’s honed to a perfected, controlled intensity. They’re more subtle with their horror, more veiled with their magic. As before, the vocal delivery remains a standout, eschewing the typical tongue-in-cheek grind often heard in deaththrash. Instead, alongside subtle horror references, we’re treated to true metal wails raw enough to draw blood, standing as equal parts graveyard roar and operatic shrieks. This potent range, now set against a more stylized and controlled soundscape, serves as the very incantations needed to conjure the album’s horrors. Atomic Witch traded brute force for a more insidious terror, proving that true evolution isn’t just about volume, but about mastering the shadows at play in the background. As the last notes of Death Etiquette suddenly dip back into darkness, the horrors they’ve summoned linger, and you’ll swear there’s still something lurking in the room.

 

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Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls

Atomic Witch – Death Etiquette
Redefining Darkness Records
Cover Art: Chad Keith
4.8 / 5