I’ve always been one to gravitate towards the weird and wonderful so when I came across Blackwitch Pudding, who are billed as a band of three Wizards who are the bastard sons of Satan, raised from a stagnant used puddle of ergot, left by the mysterious Blackwitch, hundreds of years ago, it was only natural they grabbed my interest from that description alone.
Taste The Pudding is an intriguing listen. Doom can be a difficult genre to fully get into because of the pace and all-round gloominess, but Blackwitch Pudding have created an album that can maintain your interest. Opener Mortre’D begins slowly, with the band really taking their time to build things up – first of all vocals are added, and then the pace picks up a little. There’s even a great little guitar solo in the latter half of the song!
Super Sluts From Outer Space has a lot more energy and the vocal technique of this one is great – it’s like the vocals are being yelled, but at the same time they’re not. It’s got a great energetic feel to this one with the hammering drum intro and fuzzy guitars, and it’s a wonderfully melodic piece that has a lot of movement to it. Shark Commando is a more guitar-fuelled number, a catchy song that worms its way into your head before you’ve realised what’s happening, and the deep growled vocals add another dimension to the track.
Unfortunately, closer Acid Castle Mountain Top is more of a difficult listen due to the length. Whilst the opener slowly built things up and kept things interesting, it does feel that Blackwitch Pudding are dragging their heels a little with this one because it largely consists of the same repeating idea over a long period of time.
Taste The Pudding is a largely engaging listen as a whole and is a great collection of songs. Definitely a band you need to keep your eye on.
7/10
