Introduction: Due to time constraints as regular individuals running Witching Buzz and focusing primarily on writing reviews, we are limited to publishing only one (occasionally two) review(s) per day. However, we strongly believe in providing greater exposure to deserving bands and musicians who have put in immense effort. As a result, we have launched a new section called “Witching Riffs: Behind the Sound.” In this section, we have crafted a series of intriguing questions that we pose to every band or musician who wishes to share more about their unique projects. While the questions remain the same for each participant, the diversity among bands ensures that the answers will be fascinating and diverse. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this captivating journey as we delve into the minds and stories of these talented artists.
Witchorious / France
Interviewee: Antoine (vocals & guitar) from Witchorious
What drew you to the immersive and hypnotic sounds? How do you aim to captivate your listeners with this genre?
We came to this music step by step. We played in several bands in the past, sometimes already together with my bandmates in Witchorious. We started playing a lot of rock music, bluesy stuff, heavy metal, and more and more metal. As we got older, things grew darker in our heads, just like the different metal sub-genres (sludge, doom, dark folk, black metal) we were now addicted to.
I think you need to be fully honest in your music, and people are attracted to your music when it means something they can feel too. We are big fans of music, so we know when we listen to someone who is really sincere or not. We just try to communicate emotions, express our inner feelings, especially the dark ones, in songs so we get to feel better at the end of the day. It happens to everyone to feel bad and need to listen to some dark music to unwind. Many people need this very heavy sound to lay back, just like us. Something that gets you hypnotised so that you can pause your mind and let go of the bad stuff. And we keep meeting new people during our gigs or online who can identify with our music, which is very rewarding.
Can you share the story behind your band name? How does it reflect the essence of your music?
We have struggled for quite a long time to find a band name that would describe both our music and the messages it carries. We brainstormed a lot towards names that would sound more metal than metal itself, but nothing we could all agree on. We started thinking more about the philosophical mission of our band, what we really mean with our lyrics, what stories we want to tell, where do we want to go in the near future… The character of the witch kept coming back since it is a character that we love, and we even dedicated a full song to her, “The Witch”. We love witches because they personify all men’s fears: they can suddenly turn from young to old or beautiful to ugly, they look weak but can be so powerful with their charms, they can be so independent and marginal that it must hide something… But in the end they always survive through legends and keep haunting the souls of people who think they were cursed. So we thought that this character perfectly represented anybody that would be discriminated against, metaphorically of course, and that therefore the witch was a wonderful fighting symbol. She would carry our messages, and she had to win, so she would be “glorious”. Mixing both words gave “Witchorious”, which was exactly what we were looking for, and at the same time sounded like a joke, because it was too cliché. This is what made it the right name, because if you listen to our music, we love playing with clichés. We include them in our riffs, our lyrics, in everything we can make just because it is fun and that the occult is never enough!
What are some unconventional or unexpected influences that have shaped your unique blend?
Surprisingly, we used a lot of ideas from the nu-metal bands we used to listen to back in high school. When writing the songs, we were immersed into this occult atmosphere, and sometimes got stuck with some structures, not knowing what to bring next to make it sound more modern and different from traditional doom. When jamming, we tried to play some parts of the songs like Korn would, and it gave some pretty nice fills and bridges that we kept, like in “Catharsis” of “Watch Me Die”. Even when we recorded in the studio, our producer Francis for instance suggested adding the fifth to the C chord in the verses of “Catharsis”, which made it sound kind of like Deftones’ rhythm guitars.
How do you approach creating expansive and atmospheric soundscapes? What techniques or methods do you employ to achieve that signature vibe?
It always starts from the melody, finding the right chords, the right notes to express the feeling we have. Obviously, guitar is the main driver to find these melodies. Then we often play with effects. We have our basic effects, like fuzz, chorus, and octaver that are pretty much always on, but we also experiment with more expressive effects like phaser, tremolo, wah-wah, etc. in order to create these textures that really make the difference. I think the main thing is, how do you start from your four guitar chords on Earth and end with this moving melody that makes you travel through space. A lot of the atmospheric stuff also happens in the studio, when we take our very “rock band” raw music and try to elevate it to the state of high-value material, with many ambient sounds. We learnt a lot with our producer when we recorded our first album, he had so many great tips to add to the atmospheres of the songs, make it feel like the riffs were pouring out of the cauldron. We played with the e-bow on the guitars, distorted effects like in horror movies, analog effects to fill the air of the tracks… The tricky thing is how to use the right amount of effects to recreate authenticity, but not use them too much and ruin the whole thing.
Are there specific themes or emotions you seek to convey through your music? How do alternative music help you express those concepts effectively?
We really use our music to express our darkest feelings, saddest thoughts, what makes us angry… actually everything that makes us feel bad and needs to get out. We talk a lot about what is unfair to us in this world, how difficult it is to find your way in life as a young human being in 2024, depression and how to cope… This is what we need to talk about because this is how we feel, what we are. I don’t think that I would write songs or even do music if I did not feel these conflicts inside of me, and telling others through art is definitely more of my thing than talking to a therapist (I’ve tried, haha). I think this is why alternative music genres were created, to talk about raw emotions and be true about yourself. I think this would be way more complicated to talk about these topics on a pop music landscape. Some artists do it, and they do it very well. But we definitely need this atmosphere of darkness and heaviness to let go of the violent feelings we have.
In what ways do you envision your music progressing or evolving in the future? Are there any new elements or experimental approaches you’d like to incorporate?
Definitely! We want to keep our doom DNA but push it more and more to the modern side. The three of us feel like there are amazing pieces of music to create if we keep mixing that heaviness with elements from other genres or musical cultures. We need to experiment, and we do not know where this will take us yet. But be sure that we will try to be more groovy and violent, so you can expect yet again classic riffs, but also more experimental fills and hardcore vocals.
Is there a particular song in your discography that perfectly encapsulates the essence of your music? Please elaborate on its creation and significance.
I think “Sanctuaire” is a perfect summary of our style, at least of what we have achieved with our first album. This song features classic doom riffs as we have learnt to write after years of listening to Black Sabbath, vocals alternating from blues lines to screams, the great presence of the melody even in the guitar solo, and of course the overall very dark atmosphere. This song is about someone who gets lost in the forest at the end of the day, and manages to find some lights through the night, but never knowing if these lights are friendly or not, and if all of this is a dream of reality. Metaphorically, this is about someone who is lost in his life and senses mental illness coming, looking for a cause and seeing it in signs that are probably hallucination or some religious brainwashing. This is one of the songs that came up pretty naturally. I started with the main guitar riff, and found the others almost immediately, including the guitar solo melody. Conversely for the lyrics, even though I felt the kind of atmosphere at once, I had to write three different versions to tell the right story. Repeating the solo on different keys was inspired by Monolord’s solo in “Where Death Meets The Sea”, and it especially got settled when jamming with Lucie (bass and vocals) and Paul (drums). They helped a lot on putting the right structure together, and building the right atmospheres, whether it be with Paul’s tribal drum beats on the solo and bridge or Lucie’s whispers on the verses. As I said earlier, all about good clichés!
Are there any emerging or lesser-known artists within your music genre realm that you find inspiring or deserving of more recognition? Feel free to share their names and what you appreciate about their work.
Sure! There are so many great bands and we can’t name everyone, but you should definitely check out our friends from Clegane if you like grungy sludgy vibes and Oda if you like doom rock with attitude. Both have upcoming albums that will take you to hell with no return! One of the most unique projects you can discover is our friends Kahfa from Switzerland. They mix heavy stoner rock with french hardcore rap vocals and have just released an album that is the bomb. Finally, our drummer Paul also plays in a progressive metal band called Knightress that is going to release an album pretty soon, so stay tuned!
What do you hope listeners experience or feel when they immerse themselves in your compositions? Is there a specific mood or sensation you aim to evoke?
Well, firstly we hope that they feel at home when they listen to our music, that they know they can rely on us to provide the stoner doom riffs that they love. We also hope that they can relate to the stories in our songs, and that they make them feel better, that they offer them moments of peace. Lastly, I hope it opens the minds of people who do not listen to this kind of music very often, like people who often tell us that they “don’t like metal in general, but this music is cool and makes them want to find out more”. Passing musical culture on to other human beings is wonderful.
Turbo Regime:
• Fuzz or distortion?
=> Both! Distortion on the guitar and fuzz on the bass for us.
• Analog or digital effects?
=> Analog, we love pedals (even though some digital tricks are magical in the studio).
• Sabbath or Zeppelin?
=> Sabbath forever ever ever ever ever ever eveeeeeeeerrrrr!!!!
• Heavy riff or mind-bending solo?
=> H.E.A.V.Y. R.I.F.F.S.
• Vintage gear or modern equipment?
=> Vintage gear, style is part of the art.
https://www.facebook.com/Witchorious
Label: Argonauta Records
PR: Grand Sounds Promotion
