EARTHBLOOD - Witchburner (Review)

Written by: The Administrator

Thrash-infused sludge with a bombastic pep in its step? Dragged-through-the-muck production and tasty gang vocals to boot? We're dealing with an oddly specific category here, but you can count me all the way in. Please. Please count me all the way in. I need this.

Earthblood are a new-ish quartet out of Finland, and the inflammatory Witchburner is their second EP. I was impressed by their debut outing released last September, but this sophomore effort feels like a significant step up both in terms of songwriting chops and production value. With only 3 tracks filling the 17+ minute runtime, the songs are quite girthy, incorporating both a slow-burning sludgy stomp and a thrashy drive to be the most cathartic band in the playlist.

Earthblood​ are confrontational and dirty, seeming to take a certain glee in forcibly forging their own path by way of rowdy riffage and gravel-gargling roars. In a word, Witchburner is energetic to a near-jubilant degree. There's a vigorous bounce and groove at play--check out the hellishly fun "Sons of Heavy Pain" or the exciting chorus on the title track as prime examples. When things do slow down--take the mighty closer "Swamp Hammer," for example--the lumbering pace serves to build anticipation for the burly violence that inevitably returns. If I do have any minor criticism of this EP, it is that said closer does run a tad long. But that doesn't negatively impact the overall takeaway: music like this makes me want to light my beard on fire and smash a bunch of shit with sledgehammer. Y'know, for fun.

---

I love how massive everything here sounds. The whole project is imbued with an enveloping weight; nothing is gentle or light-footed. While the sheer bituminous thickness of the guitar tone is a foregone conclusion, the drums in particular are thick and hollow and hefty, rolling in like a century thunderstorm dropping hailstorms the size of a wrecking ball. Not be be upstaged, the vocals are bullish and behemothian. Simply gargantuan delivery.
​

I wholehearted recommend checking out the whole EP--it's not exactly a taxing time commitment. That said, if you are looking to sample, the aforementioned "Sons of Heavy Pain" represents Earthblood at their finest, in my humble opinion. The riffs are punchy and hooky as fuck, the momentum and interplay between the guitars and drums is thrilling, the vocal punctuations are invigorating. 10/10 track. No notes.

What more to say? If you like music of the pugilistic and pulverizing variety, you're not going to be disappointed with this one. Give Witchburner a listen here!

Earthblood - Witchburner was released April 18th, 2024via Inverse Records. Find it here!

---

Earthblood can be found:
Bandcamp
Facebook
Instagram