Hunched over in the copse, lurking the woods that border their psychic haunt the mystical devotees behind Toulouse, France-based psychedelic doom metal quartet WITCHTHROAT SERPENT loudly merge all energies ’til their command of space-time flows from unified channel on this fifth full-length album. Through direct possession they conjure sermon-like telling, tales of Satanic horror and depravity beyond comprehension as the heady lurching of ‘Demons Left to Roam‘ sprays its irradiating curse across the land. For the veteran of occult psychedelic/stoner doom and its mid-to-late 90’s sludge-sauced extremes their efforts should easily overtake the senses, amplifying the dread within through riff-driven cacophonic delirium.

Witchthroat Serpent formed as a trio circa 2011 by way of Fredrik Bolzann (ex-Darvulia, ex-Sektarism) alongside the rhythm section from avant-grind group Artemisia Absinthium with the shared intent of creating occult stoner doom. Fans of ancient analog heavy psychedelic rock and pre-millennial stoner/sludge doom should thrive within the alienation of the band’s debut LP (‘Witchthroat Serpent‘, 2014) a raw and ritualistic take on earlier Electric Wizard-stoked sounds where echoic vocals spoke psychedelic horrors and menacing ritual movements droned loud with lunge-speed doom metal riffcraft. Though their production values quickly polished within the couple of albums that’d followed, and the lineup would shift and expand over the course, fostering an earlier Windhand-esque type of fixation. I’d written about the band here and there over the years but it wasn’t until their fourth LP (‘Trove of Oddities at the Devil’s Driveway‘, 2023) released that I’d taken stock of their greater discography, ultimately prompting a closer ear toward album number five.

The nuclear heat of stoner-doom sound design and the search for a typified, polished-up standard for it is more often than not a folly, a chase after what many view as generica which rids the sleazy horrified existential dread that’d first dignified the style. Though I wouldn’t accuse Witchthroat Serpent of chasing gloss on their third and fourth LPs I did immediately appreciate the capture of ‘Demons Left to Roam‘ as a remedy to the sleepier warmth of ‘Trove of Oddities at the Devil’s Driveway‘. As opener “Cursed Night Circle” crosses the gate and drops its snarling analog capture (per Christophe Chavanon @ Kerwax Studio) its atmosphere appears explosive by comparison per an amp rattling main rhythm guitar thread and the bleak distance of Bolzann‘s downward echoing rant. As an opener it is more dire, mean and debilitating rather than energizing, a haunted warning captured within chasmic space as a first impression.

‘Demons Left to Roam‘ didn’t fully worm into ear on my part ’til “Silver Bell of Ritual” hit, a simpler ominous plod carrying a handful of riff changes to round out Side A. If you’re as big a fan of ‘Vænir‘ as I am some of that same desolate, crisped over plod carries here though I don’t know if the mid-song guitar solo or the riffs themselves will do more than preach to the choir in terms of patternation. A huge part of Witchthroat Serpent‘s appeal here on album number four is its big-booming extension of their sonic excess and at that point the rhythm guitar tone carries its own radiation, ebbing towards the delirious stomp through Side B.

“Lost Dimension” would quickly prove the biggest skull-spanker of the lot, taking a Windhand level dirge to start and creating a pained verve from it, slinking through ’til their action carries directly into the doubly long possession of sludgier highlight “The Blinded Magpie”. The latter offers the mountain of the full listen, and for my taste the point of unholy salvation beyond the cacophonic dementia they’d kicked Side A off with. Witchthroat Serpent‘s firm grasp of the menace of stoner/sludge doom metal’s Satanic panic ‘sploitation framed dread is thickest here and despite the crisp and spacious horror-hallways ‘Demons Left to Roam‘ has been afforded; To close the album they’ve done a great service to “The Zany Magician” a cover of a deeper cut from German progressive rock band Eloy‘s fourth album, using their ominous psychedelic gloom to turn it upside down, or, closer to a ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath‘ type jog rather than an arty Crimsonian early 70’s heavy psych dirge.

Slow to build their wave but smart enough to cinch it up before the dark energies summoned dissipate Witchthroat Serpent have put some of their finest pacing and characterized work into this fifth album. A more severe hand and bleakest atmosphere guides ‘Demons Left to Roam‘ into uglier haunted realms, a truly morbid step beyond the band’s last couple of releases, and thankfully the riff is never left behind. Though it is most likely to suit a specific niche outright the dark occult trance carried through this album will more than likely pull in those willing to peer into the eyes of possession. A high recommendation.

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