Witch Hunt "EP's & Crucial Chaos Radio Session" CD
[Profane Existence]
Despite imagery and a band name that might be suggestive of a darker and perhaps more metallic side of hardcore/punk, this male/female trio drops 14 tracks of pissed off hardcore/punk with a few distinct frills on this collection of material from prior (and now out of print) releases, with a radio show tacked on as a bonus. There's definitely a little bit of a darker air about this lyrically, and musically some of the dissonant atmospheres that creep in are a little more sinister, but for the most part it's moderately fast and raw hardcore/punk with a lot of tradeoffs vocally. Included is the self-titled EP, the split 7" with Deathbag, and a live set recorded on WNYU in March of 2003. And the material can get kind of diverse despite its consistent core. "On My Honor" is much more sinister musically and uses singing vocals for the lead role, but the shouting/screaming is far better, as this form of monotone singing just doesn't do much for me in this context; but then "A War on Reality" plays out more like an old school hardcore track at the start, with the scathing vocals adding a different aesthetic. "Shroud of Silence" is more midpaced and plodding with a good sense of energy to the slightly faster moment sand a solid vocal performance with one spoken break that stands out a lot. "Take a Stand" is uncommonly dissonant, while by contrast "Backfire" is almost catchy on some level, flirting with a subtle melodic undercurrent and everything. The live set basically consists of songs from the EP's plus two other tracks and a cover of Siege's "Conform", with some talking between the songs introducing a bit of the band's ideas and such. I assume the two non-EP cuts are newer, and they're better as well - notably "Life in a Box" and its discordant clean riffing and persistent tempo that really leave a mark. The recording's pretty good. The studio stuff is a little noisy and rugged, and the performances could be tighter as well, but I can live with it. The bass plays a really strong role, the mixes are pretty even, etc. I do think it's a little too dirty and inconsistent to be truly effective (both EP's were recorded in the same session, but there are some incongruities from song to song), but I can't tell if that's more the production or the rough performances? There are definitely some instances where the timing falters and becomes a little annoying ("Once Upon a Time..."), but I could go either way on that. The live stuff is a little harder to make out, but is listenable. It's not mastered as loudly as the other material, which is frustrating, but the performances seem a little tighter and more energetic, and the thicker mix does make a difference for the better at the core of it. Visually things look good with all black and white artwork fitting of the band name, a few band photos, and all of the lyrics. The lyrics are fucking impressive and deal with your usual topics as far as attacking political issues, religion, working your life away at senseless jobs, domestic abuse and society's general sense of inequality towards women, animal rights, and so on... but the content is longer, more involved, more bitter, and more powerful than most any band I've encountered in recent times. "Every morning's like a funeral procession and we're the dead, Abysmal retrogression, How do you earn a living in a life you didn't ask for? How do you earn your living when your life's already over? Suffer, I didn't ask for this but now that it's mine no one's taking it away, Every morning wake up red-eyed, Future constricts my throat, Always thinking about tomorrow, Never enjoy the day, The carrot always dangles, Swept up in a mindless tedium, Cradle, cubicle, coffin..." Fucking awesome. Musically though, I'm not blown away by the overall impact of the songs. The live stuff is newer and seems tighter and more explosive however, so I'm really looking forward to checking out this band's full-length. I like this, the framework is there, but it's just a little lacking, and I bet they've improved a great deal, so... we'll see. (6/10)
Running time - 34:31, Tracks: 14
[Notable tracks: Fed Up, Shroud of Silence, Backfire, Life in a Box]
Profane Existence - http://www.profaneexistence.com

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