You’ll find All Them Witches on the outskirts. This collective of creative outliers have never followed a pre-trodden path or comfortably fit into an existing scene or style. Instead, the band resides at an elusive crossroads where clouds of slow-burning meditative distortion soak up strains of stratospheric psychedelia, out-of-body blues, and thundering no-frills hard rock. The quartet—Charles Michael Parks, JR. [bass, vocals], Ben McLeod [guitar, vocals], Allan Van Cleave [piano, keys, violin], and Christian Powers [drums]—astrally amplify arresting melodies across an ever-evolving landscape, balancing extremes of blunt heaviness and melodic weightlessness, mythos and magic, and dark and light. The group first materialized in Nashville, TN, in 2012. Their organic progression was evident in fan-favorite releases, including Our Mother Electricity [2012], Lightning at the Door [2013], Dying Surfer Meets His Maker [2015], Sleeping Through the War [2017], and ATW [2018]. They reached a critical high watermark on Nothing as the Ideal [2020]. In a “9.0” review, The Line of Best Fit raved, “Nothing Is The Ideal is their greatest achievement to date.” Classic Rock hailed it as “a dark, enticing feast for the senses,” and Paste christened it “a steady mix of gloom and acceptance.” Beyond gracing the stages of festivals a la Bonnaroo, Pukkelpop, and more, they packed houses on headline tours and hit the road with the likes of Mastodon, Primus, and Ghost. Firing on all cylinders with their first new music in over half a decade, they harness the power of their unbreakable union as collaborators and friends on their seventh full-length LP and first offering for BMG, House of Mirrors.
About Emma Ruth Rundle:
“I don’t know what to reveal about this album,” Emma Ruth Rundle responds when pressed to talk about her latest record, the stark, intimate, and unflinching Engine of Hell. “I feel like I want to be left alone for a little bit… it doesn’t feel like it’s time to wave the ‘look at me’ flag.” It’s an understandable position given the heavy lyrical content of the record and the naked and exposed nature of the accompanying music. Even the most cursory listen of the album is sure to elicit some questions. Rundle has opted to forego the full-band arrangements of her last two albums—Marked For Death and On Dark Horses—in favor of the austerity of a lone piano or guitar and her voice, putting every word under the microscope. Engine of Hell was recorded almost entirely live with minimal overdubs, and the effect is an extremely up-close and personal confessional with an ASMR-level focus on the rich subtleties and timbre of Rundle’s graceful performances. Much like Nick Drake’s Pink Moon or Sibylle Baier’s Colour Green, Engine of Hell captures a moment where a masterful songwriter strips away all flourishes and embellishments in order to make every note and word hit with maximum impact. But it’s also a record that leaves little to hide behind.
