All Them Witches’ newest album, “Dying Surfer Meets His Maker,” is a psychedelic blues and rock album to excite those who appreciate old-school rock-and-roll for its heavy guitars and instrumentals. The self-proclaimed “psychedelta, stoner-rock” band from Nashville have put together an album laden with guitar riffs, harmonica solos and enough instrumental songs that when you hear Michael Parks Jr.’s voice, his sultry singing may surprise you.
Track one, “Call Me Star,” introduces the album with an acoustic singer-songwriter style of music. Though the track is very enjoyable, it’s softer, more indie-rock sound is not a very good indicator of the direction that the album as a whole takes. By track two, “El Centro,” the acoustic-guitar and soft vocals of lead-singer Michael Parks are replaced by heavy electric guitar, synthesizer and drums to pick up on the noise as the guitar fades. “El Centro” nears nine minutes in length, highlighting lead guitarist Ben McLeod and lead drummer Robby Staebler’s musical talents.
The album is progressive and conceptual, with every other track being instrumental, which gives listeners a break to reflect on the lyrics of previous tracks. Parks sings very often about pain, loss and religion, making for a substantive, interesting piece followed by an instrumental number that expresses equally effectively a certain mood and story but without vocals.
Tracks like “This is Where It Falls Apart” are purely instrumental, save a few mysterious whispers from Park. This song swaps previous tracks’ strong electric guitar for harmonica and a lower-tempo rhythm. The style of this song, along with other tracks like “Talisman,” paired with the jazzy harmonica remind one of a journey to the Wild West, giving the album a “lone-wolf” feeling.
Though one may think these longer instrumental-break songs are overwhelming and excessive, they are crafted in such a way that each musical piece tells a story and has many distinct parts that make a beautiful whole. The closing track on the album, “Blood and Sand/Milk and Endless Waters,” for instance, begins dramatically and quietly at first, and later the inclusion of more instruments and a few background vocals towards the end, grows the group’s volume and passion level. It makes for an emotional listen that sums up what listeners have been experiencing throughout the entire album.
Parks’ pensive lyrics coupled with the effect of the strategic ordering of “Dying Surfer” and the variety of instruments used make this album a moody, hard-rock gem that you can easily get lost in.
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