Review by Alex on October 9, 2019.

Is it worth your soul, those prized and coveted things lost beneath the cursed depths many a drunken sailor have fallen in pursuit of? All that glitters is not gold, or at least such is the reality of the unfortunate one whom heart beats stronger for wealth than it does for health. Witchbones extends invitations to a land adventurous and driven by tales of fool’s gold that he may soon share the torments of thousands before him. Are you not the least discouraged by the feeble attempts of mortals narrow minded and near sighted who have amounted to nothing but piles of bones trampled mercilessly at the feet of ambition?, does the horror to come not trouble you at all? Soon to be a condemned crew then; prey to The Seas of Draugen, a voyage to set sail the listener on a path of mental dissemblance, I bid thee farewell o restless traveler/s; your nightmare a soon to be reality.

You would be lucky should The Seas of Draugen by some act of mercy cough you up and wash ashore your peevish shell; though rest your soul within a chest of curses, at least the countrymen can prepare a proper farewell for you the vanquished. The faint thud of drumming like a prisoner of the oceans depths still banging frantically at doors of a buried ship as if not already succumbed to the choking force of the ocean’s pouch, the heartbeat of this frightened man felt, for this be no clement fate. You may have heard the uttering of a "Void Meditation Cult" or felt the wrathful hand through "Order of the Nameless Ones", either way, this monster Witchbones shares some common ground with those brutes. Alarmed by the blurring buzz of its moving effect and smothering howls forming tension as the body shudders; ‘The Nun Collector’, he who has condemned his own for being in league with the devil, inquisitive his presence be known.

Onward to ‘The Seas of Draugen’, ‘Nebulous Ghost Ship’, and ‘At the Shores (Draugen’s Revenge)’ the baneful tide of howling vocals, massive leads and almost murmured drumming leaves no vessel untouched through its growing intensity. Though not steered by a foray of merciless blast beats, Witchbones’ unsettling tempo materializes through a precise rhythmic motion and tone. Taken up in awe and wonder of how so trancing this aquatic passage be, the answer revealed, through The Seas of Draugen’s invariable frequency. Hence, the music is captured and molded such that it represents a coherent theme of peril despite some amorphous track titles. Each session treated with no less respect than others. The Seas of Draugen compose a family of intemperance, committed to submerging the listener/s. Once the paralyzing timbre of Witchbones sets afloat, inescapable its ever-growing aperture becomes.

The Seas of Draugen accomplishes much within such a short passage, trance, climax, sonic unity, cohesiveness and the indisputable evil of a corporeal-grave-guardian Norse legend unveiled. Its gigantic stature excellently made evident through howls ever hungry for any a rogue soul. Undoubtedly a fine entry within the discography of Witchbones whom I am pleased to have been fortunate enough to discover. This oceanic grave of treasures and tragedies will be ceremoniously opened by the mighty hands of Iron Bonehead Records December 6th 2019.

“Blue, green, grey, white, or black; smooth, ruffled, or mountainous; that ocean is not silent.”
― H.P. Lovecraft

Rating: 8.5 out of 10