Review by Norbert on January 30, 2026.

Death/doom metal is a rather hermetic genre. It would seem that everything there was to say on the subject was presented years ago by My Dying Bride on "Turn Loose The Swans," Anathema on "The Silent Enigma," Katatonia on "Brave Murder Day," Paradise Lost on "Gothic," Amorphis on "Tales From The Thousand Lakes," Cianide on "The Dying Truth," and Asphyx on "The Rack." Yet, year after year, new bands honoring the music of the Old Masters spring up like mushrooms after a rainstorm. Some are better, others worse. Many are typical revivals, but every now and then, a newcomer to this deathdoom scene attempts to add a new element to the well-worn formula.

Take Void Witch, for example.

Formed in 2021 in Austin, Texas, by four individuals who had previously been in several bands practicing various metal genres, the band, after a demo and an EP, released their debut full-length album, "Horripilating Presence," in the summer of 2024 (under Everlasting Spew Records). Six tracks, six macabre stories with elements of body horror, murder ballads, and other (un)pleasant tales, wrapped in 39 minutes of music that blends classic doom and old-school death metal from the death/doom playbook: dark, apocalyptic atmospheres, ominous, sepulchral vibrations with dense, fat riffs, plaintive melodies, crushing bass work, and inhuman growling. Yes, all of this is present on "Horripilating Presence," in perfect proportions, and superbly produced to boot. But there are also elements that seem out of place. Like the guitar parts, reminiscent of grunge heroes Jerry Cantrell and Kim Thayil. Or 'Malevolent Demiurge' – the album's third, epic, spacious track, which Type O Negative orphans might fall in love with from the very first notes. A good mix? Not bad, but nevertheless, the strength of Void Witch's debut album isn't in this genre-bending mixture.

"Horripilating Presence" consists of six brilliantly composed, perfectly arranged, dark, and unsettling tracks with beautiful melodic lines. Six tracks with an overpowering, colossal sound. Six tracks filled with a mysterious atmosphere and vast space, yet heavy and brutal. It may not be on par with albums released the same year from similar genres by Spectral Voice, Coffins, Apparition, Slimelord, or Civerous, but I found myself returning to it often, much more often than, for example, My Dying Bride's latest album. Any Temple Of Void fans out there? "Horripilating Presence" was a great way to while I waited for the follow-up to the latter's "Summoning The Slayer." It's worth jotting down the name Void Witch in your notebook for the future.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10