Occult Witches – Sorrow’s Pyre

Occult Witches
Sorrow’s Pyre
Label: Black Throne Productions
Out: July 12^th, 2024
Playing time: 48:11

Occult Witches are a Hard Rock band from Sherbrooke in the Canadian province of Quebec. And they play 70s Hard Rock. They combine this with Blues and baroque classical music. The band are therefore likely to create a unique sound structure. Unfortunately, as is often the case, the press release doesn’t mention the date the band was founded. Facebook provides a clue. The first post is dated April 23rd, 2021, in which the album debut ‘Morning Walk’ is announced for April 30th. Since then, the band has released a new album every year. ‘Sorrow’s Pyre’ is therefore already the fourth album.

Although we are listening to a Retro Hard Rock album here, it doesn’t work without an ‘Intro’. I find these forty-two seconds of noise superfluous. The opening song ‘Malice’ starts quietly. The soulful voice of Vanessa San Martin should be emphasised. But shortly afterwards, heavily distorted guitars kick in, both riffs and melodic arcs. This is when things pick up speed. And, typical of seventies Rock, there is a pronounced guitar solo. The electrically distorted guitars also dominate on ‘Tumbling Through The Dark’. The highlight for me is ‘Faustian Bargain’. At first we hear a Classic Blues Rock ballad, in which Vanessa’s vocals are underpinned by quiet guitar and drums. But the Canadians can’t do ballads all the time. Soon the guitars really get going. Then it’s back to the contemplative realm. A great guitar solo concludes the song. In ‘Flesh And Bones’, things get down to business right from the start. Drums and guitar are driving. Only in the bluesy vocal passages is the tempo slowed down a little. ‘Interlude In E-Flat Minor’ is a quiet instrumental interlude, albeit with a playing time of just over three minutes. Bass and acoustic guitar dominate here. The second part features a beautiful guitar melody line. ‘The Fool’ is Classic Blues Rock again, guitar-driven and dominated by charismatic vocals. ‘Sorrow’ starts quietly with guitar and drums. As soon as the vocals kick in, the song moves into the mid-tempo range. The finale is timeless Rhythm and Blues with ‘Bluesman (Sunrise Cocaine)’.

Singer Vanessa San Martin is clearly the figurehead. But of course it wouldn’t work without the performance of her bandmates. They provide a solid Blues Rock underpinning on ‘Sorrow’s Pyre’. The sound of the seventies is truly celebrated here. For someone like me, who grew up in that era, these are pleasant memories.

Occult Witches – Faustian Bargain: https://youtu.be/F1o-Wnsv9DQ?si=AOnMgvLm_r7JzLlr

Lineup:

Vanessa San Martin – Vocals
Danick Cournoyer – Bass
Alec Marceau – Guitar
Eliot Sirois – Drums

Track list:

• Intro
• Malice
• Tumbling Through The Dark
• Faustian Bargain
• Flesh And Bones
• Interlude In E-Flat Minor
• The Fool
• Sorrow
• Bluesman (Sunrise Cocaine)