All Them Witches are a stoner rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, and man do they throw down the riffs. Fronted by bassist Michael Parks Jr. the quartet jammed their way through an hour long late night set which started at around 11:15. With slow tempos and heavy influences, its music that’s seems made as a soundtrack for the desert, throwing together organs, southern rock, and heavy fucking riffs to create a hazy atmosphere
They only played a handful of songs, but those few songs each stretched out, with drummer Robby Staebler adding driving Chris Haikus (of Sleep and Om) styled beats and fills on a minimal 6 piece kit. Most songs saw guitarist Ben McLeod stretching out on Jimi Hendrix meets Stevie Ray Vaughn solos, sometimes trading licks with organist Allan Van Cleave.
A highlight was barn burner “When God Comes Back” which got a huge reaction from the crowd. Parks did a “Black Dog” styled call and response with some heavy riffs that kind of reminded me of Queens of the Stone Age or the contemporaneous Royal Blood. The crowd was going wild with more than a few people flailing around and really getting into it.
Another highlight was closer “Charles William” which opened with Park’s droning bass and voice has a hypnotic quality before a shrilling slide guitar pierces through the rest of the band which grooves and slides. “Jesus was my dad / Never raised a hand” Park sang as the band stretched out and transitioned into heavy riff after heavy riff. Staebler’s drums pummeled the audience for what seemed like 10 minutes, and everyone was sweating.
For fans of stoner metal like Sleep, Black Sabbath, The Melvins, Acid King, and Electric Wizard, All Them Witches feels like a jammier addition to the genre, they still knows how to write good riffs and simple melodies, and they just enjoy playing together.
Article by: Steven Klett
Check out our interview and photos from the last time All Them Witches were in town – here.
