Made of Teeth is the sophomore EP from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada's Witch of the Waste, and it's a fairly succinct outing (six songs, 14 minutes) of raging technical (death) metalcore that's working with a mixed bag of influences. Loads of riffs are crammed into generally short, fast-paced songs that achieve a great balance between the acerbic/chaotic and the groove-based and tangible—even flirting with post-rock, black metal, and melodic elements that touch on a "screamo" angle (most of the vocals are upper midrange screams, which probably has something to do with that, but there are slightly lower/more guttural bits, too).
They cite that their influences "range from Converge, Oathbreaker, and Ulcerate to Sigur Rós," and you can't deny that with a track like "They Haunt Minds"—its killer fusion of top-shelf scathing metalcore intensity with explosive tech whirlwinds, as well as quick fits of warped death metal and sweeping post-rock surges. This is an approach that continues into "She Burst Into Snakes," complete with Dillinger-esque slash 'n' chop arrangements and blackened post-rock tremolo picking.
It's true for most of the tracks, really, each with its own little twists—"It Was Always 3:00am" dishing out spacious hammer-on/pull-off runs that let the rhythm section take some shine time; "Let's Say You Have an Ax..." tossing around a bit of textbook post-hardcore; and "I Bet You're Wondering What I'm Doing With This Here Gas Can," the longest cut, getting a hint more emphatic with its gradually increasing intensity.
The production is very suitable, I have no strong opinions. The music itself is often harsh, but the sound doesn't get too grating or overbearing. The mix could use a dash more bass presence as a whole, but for the most part it's decently balanced and works just fine.
I haven't seen the physical packaging firsthand, but quite dig the look of the simplistic artwork suggestive of teeth. While the song titles kind of go down that "typical metalcore" road of getting a touch lighthearted (i.e. the aforementioned "...This Here Gas Can"), the lyrics don't align with that at all, and present a quite well-written form of veiled storytelling:
When you reach the peak, reach for me. Pull me past the pain of prose and certainty. I've seen shadows move. I've seen things growing teeth and leaving pigeon wings and feet. We're all withered, disfigured, detached, and deranged. We're all withered, disfigured, unhinged, and unchanged, and unaware that the formula that determines our karma looks a lot like probability...
It all boils down to great riffs and a sense of emotion here. I often find that metalcore of the wild 'n' crazy variety can be borderline unlistenable, but whereas Witch of the Waste is not necessarily rewriting the book on innovation, they're executing with both quality and power, and the result is damn good. Available as a free download or a blue vinyl 7", so give it a shot...
Get It
- Witch of the Waste (7"/mp3)
