~By Suzi Uzi~

(Doomed & Stoned Chicago)

When vocalist Virginia Monti (Psychedelic Witchcraft) and drummer Mark Greening (Electric Wizard, Ramesses, With The Dead) sparked a friendship year before last, we had a feeling that a collaboration was in the works.   Our hunch was confirmed with the announcement of the fascinating new project DEAD WITCHES.   Guitarist Greg Elk and bassist Carl Geary joined the crew shortly thereafter and the clock started ticking toward a debut record.   Ouija is slated for release on the 10th of February 2017 via Heavy Psych Sounds, with the second single “Drawing Down The Moon” dropping over the weekend.   We thought it high time to introduce the Doomed & Stoned readers to the masterminds fueling “the heaviest occult psych superbeast to see the light this year” and dispatched our newest contributor Suzi Uzi (who helms Chicago band Black Road) for a lively conversation with Virginia and Mark.   At the conclusion of the interview, Suzi gives us a review of the album, so stick around!   (Billy)

Are you guys excited about releasing your new album together?

Mark: Yeah, totally.

Virginia: I think we are excited – and it was really unexpected, because we didn’t plan anything.   We didn’t plan to do an album or even really to do a band, so it’s cool.

When did you guys form Dead Witches?

Mark: I don’t know…

Virginia: Basically what happened was, he wanted to do something new because of his past experiences with bands and stuff like that.   He wanted to do something really personal – and he is still doing Ramesses – but obviously he wanted to do something new.   He kept saying, “Oh, we need to jam. We need to do something together,” but I wasn’t really a fan of Electric Wizard, unfortunately.   When I met him, I didn’t even know how he played!   So when we actually jammed together, I was like, “Oh, you’re actually really good!”   He was like, “Uh, yeah…” and I really didn’t know that!   Back in Italy, I decided to write a couple of songs in Italy with a computer and a couple of friends, and I sent them back to Mark.   Apparently he liked it, and that’s when everything really started… isn’t it?

Mark: Well, yeah, I just heard some of the demos that Virginia did and we just sort of decided to give it a go.   I thought of some local lads I knew that would probably want to have a jam and do a band.   We just sort of set to do it for a bit of fun, really, and we thought, “Yeah, this is sounding quite good.”   Then we obviously got in touch with Gabriele about putting out an album and, yeah, that’s just sort of what happened.

Is this Gabriele Fiori?

Virginia: That’s him!   He is everywhere, isn’t he?

Mark: Yeah, Heavy Psych Sounds.

Virginia: I thank Gabriele for coming from a country that’s not really that into doom music, and not very into stoner music, either.   I think Gabriele did amazing stuff with his label.   It’s grown up so much during these years.   It is the best label in Italy and we are really happy to be with Heavy Psych.

Mark: Yeah, I mean we had a few different offers from record labels, but a lot of them were just going to be a bit too heavy and a bit too much of a commitment.   We just sort of wanted to do this album and have a bit of fun with it, really, and not be locked down to “You need to do this” or “You need to do that.”

Who originally had the idea for the band?

Virginia: I think the idea came from Mark, because he is a drummer and can write songs, but he just didn’t have a guitar back then.   So Mark wanted to do the band and I was the one who was more skeptical about it.  The music was so much different compared to Psychedelic Witchcraft.   I did the demos and wrote a few songs here and there, because I had been in his flat and was inspired.   When he was at work, I was here alone listening to his music, being with the exorcist doll, and going to the graveyard down the street.   I was just into his sort of inspiration and his sort of vibe, so I think the songs really reflect Mark’s ideas a lot.   Also, Mark came up with the name of the band.   If I have to be fair, yeah, we did it together, but it’s your inspiration, I think in my opinion.

Mark: Yeah, I guess so. (laughs)

Is it fun to experiment with new musical styles as you both influence one another’s sound?

Virginia: I think during the years you always develop and you always grow as a singer or as a musician, so I really respect bands that stay current with their sounds.   But then, on the other hand, it’s even good to grow, change, and experiment with new things.   That’s what happened to me on my side, because for me it was totally new music.  For him, he was actually doing his stuff, which feels like his sort of thing.

Mark: Well, yeah, I’ve always done sort of doom type of music, all a bit sort of doom and gloom.  In the past I have wanted to do other styles of music, but I’ve always stuck to doom.  I think if I did something a bit different, I’m not sure how people would take to it, to be honest.   I’ve done other things in the past, sort of trying to do like ‘60s garage bands, because I’m really influenced by late '60s music and heavy psychedelic stuff, as well.   It’s quite strange, really, because I’ve never really listened to a massive great deal of doom.   I mean, I’ve got my favorite doom bands, but I listen to a lot of stuff you probably wouldn’t think I listen to.

Virginia: That’s what inspired me most about him.   He doesn’t listen to heavy stuff.   You like some stuff that I like, like psychedelic stuff and other things from the 70s.   But then when it comes to the drumming and it comes to the music, he has his own interpretation, which I think makes everything a bit more winning.   He’s not actually trying to rip off anybody.   He’s just being himself and that was the most inspiring thing to me.   It just comes naturally.  That was great for me, and I think that really reflects the fact of heavy, but original.   You can clearly feel the vibe we want to transmit from the songs.

Mark: I mean a lot of doom music sounds similar anyway, really.   Some of the riffs and tempos of the songs and stuff.   It’s just a lot of other bands sound like any other band.

Virginia: Yeah, you know, it’s sounding like a copy of the copy of the copy of somebody else.   I don’t say this in a mean way, don’t get me wrong.   I respect most of the bands that are out there, but as a musician I would say that I really like people that have their own inspiration and they have something to say.   I think art is that: having something to say.   Maybe you’re not completely original, but you can feel it when there is honesty behind the music.   I think that’s what we are trying to say.

As I listened to your album and wrote out my review, one major feeling throughout was literally walking to, through, and then into a graveyard.

Virginia: I am very happy that you feel that.   Me and Mark are kind of weirdos, like a sort of Addam’s family.   We like to go to the graveyard.   We would go there at night.   I like to play with Ouija boards.   One of the songs on the album, “Ouija,” I wrote during a séance with the Ouija board.   I think the album themes really reflect that.

There are a lot of occult themes.   Was this part of the feeling you had in mind while mixing the vocals, to “bury” them in the mix?

Virginia: Mark really helped.   He played the organ, the keyboard.   He was also there mixing my voice.   We made sure it wasn’t over the top.

Mark: We wanted the vocals to sort of sit a bit in the mix.   We didn’t want it to be too up-front, otherwise when you’re listening all you would sort of be able to hear is the vocals.   So we wanted the vocals to be more like an instrument.

Virginia: That is why chose to go with Heavy Psych.   Gabriele let us go into the recording studio and do whatever we wanted to do.  We didn’t have any pressure from a manager or from another person saying to make the sound more polished or a certain way.   We were actually free and that’s amazing to have from a record label, I think.

Mark: Yeah, the studio where we recorded, Chuckalumba Studio with John, was the same I had worked in a few times with John on some Electric Wizard LPs.   John knew what we were sort of after, the way we wanted to record, and the sound we were going for really.   He was really great to help us out and mix it.

Virginia: It was literally a work of the whole band.   We all sat down together and knew what sound we wanted.

Mark: The mixing was quite easy, really.   We all knew what we wanted and just got on and did it.   Sometimes mixing albums in the past become a complete nightmare.

Virginia: We were in there for four days in a row.   This studio is super cool.   It is literally in the middle of nowhere.   There is no phone connection, no internet connection, just in the woods.   We were there just doing the music.   We recorded on tape, so nothing was digital.   It was just one take and that’s it.   It was really a cool experience.   Mark was used to that, because he’d been there before, but I never recorded on tape with vintage stuff and for me it was amazing.

Was that stressful to record on tape?

Virginia: A bit!

Mark: The only thing with recording on tape is there’s no chopping.   I mean, you can, but I don’t know how you would do that.   We just sort of have to get it right and just play it, and there you go.   I prefer that way of recording.   You get the best sound and a more vintage feel to everything.

Virginia: We obviously had our moments of difficulty, especially because I am not the easiest person to work with.   I am a perfectionist and unfortunately have no filter.   If something was bad, I was like, “This is shit! We have to do it again!”   They were very patient to work with me – very, very patient.   He’s a sweetheart, but I am really the bitch of the situation.   At the end of the day it was a lot of fun.

Did the label have a hand in helping you to produce your album or was this more of a self-produced project?

Virginia: Gabriele said to just go into the studio and make the album.   We did it all ourselves, we paid for it ourselves.   Mark actually paid most of it.  It was just us.

Mark: Gabriele was so laid back about stuff.   He signed us really on just hearing one demo, I think.   He was just really into it.   He basically said we could do what we want with the record and send him a track while in the studio, just so he could hear how it was sounding.   We sent him one song and he thought it sounded great.   He just let us get on with it, really, with no pressure.

Virginia: It was a lot of fun.   We were very professional in the studio. (laughs)   When it came my turn to do the vocals, they left me alone and were drinking.   On the last song, I was a bit drunk on the album, actually!

Mark: Very, very professional!

Do you guys have any plans to do gigs or tour at all in the future?

Mark: We haven’t done any shows yet, it’s early days really.   I’m getting on a bit now, so I don’t want to be doing too many long tours or anything like that.   It would be nice to play a few festivals and maybe a short tour.   It would be nice to do a few shows here and there.   I’d definitely like to record a second album, as well.

Virginia: I don’t think we will ever go on a big three-month tour, but we are looking forward to doing that.

Track-by-Track:

A Review of Ouija by Dead Witches

From the moment the “Intro” track starts, anticipation ensues.   You hear sounds of a storm.   Rain drops heavily fall as thunder rumbles, leading way to the heavy bass played by Carl Geary.   A church organ creeps in and creates a spooky feeling.   Suddenly, it’s as if you’re heading toward a graveyard or some ominous place where spirits await.   The guitar, played by the late Greg Elk, has an amazing tone that creates a harmonious sensation with the organ, as well as big chord power.   Vocalist Virginia Monti’s distorted echoes are intriguing throughout the album.

Track two: “Dead” has a straightforward groove, accented by solid drums and that always-present and recognizable ride cymbal, played by Mark Greening, that carries us through the whole song.   The beginning guitar riff reminds us we’re listening to a band with members who have spent years honing their sound, and know exactly what they want.   The vocals are like an evil, twisted taunt.   Buried within the mix, clearly Dead Witches is producing their own take on something we have all grown to love.   The guitar and bass create the perfect fuzzy feeling for Virginia’s powerful, over-driven vocals.   The song ends just as strong as it began.

Track three: “Drawing Down The Moon” is heavy! Virginia sounds possessed and wanting revenge.   Her voice growls over giant guitar chords and fuzz-laden bass.   “Sacrifice the blood” echoes throughout the song.   This album truly feels as though this trip through the graveyard already took a wrong turn, in the best sort of way.   The drums really showcase the quality of the recording and mixing of Ouija.   This song has a great tempo that picks up near the end and gets you pumped for the next track.

Track four: “Ouija” slows down the chaos just a bit, with a demonic and psychedelic groove feeling.   Vocal verses give way to bluesy and trippy guitar leads, effectively executed with simplicity.   This song is like a carnival ride, going slow and sludgey, then suddenly picking up, only to slow right back down.   The musicianship for each member shines throughout this track.   Having a deadly, repeating vocal hook ensures this song will definitely be stuck in your head!

Track five: “Mind Funeral” had one of my favorite vocal melodies.   It pairs perfectly with the guitar and bass to sound even more evil.   This band has really found a way to capture darkness, celebrating a “funeral of the mind.” The lyrics get stuck in your head and keep you coming back to listen again and again.   The main riff slays, creating its own story –- as if you’re running from some invisible, ominous pursuer, perhaps Dead Witches or “the spirits that haunt your soul”?

Track six: “A World Of Darkness” starts with only Mark’s super solid drums for a few measures.   The guitar and bass join in for the final track of the album.   After a spooky old movie quote, the riffs begin as heavy as ever.   Virginia gives us the realization of just how hopeless it is, and there is “no way back” from this graveyard trip.   The vocal melody is beautiful, yet tortured.   The fuzz and cymbal crashes ring out and the song picks back up with drums to continue the spell of the Dead Witches.   This song has many great drum parts to really display Mark’s versatility.   The album ends, leaving you wanting more.

Overall, Ouija has everything you would hope for in a great doom album.   The occult themes are prevalent in every song, as well as the bleak and dark side of life and death.   Virginia simply wrote about what she was feeling at that point, based on the things she had been exposed to and interested her.   “I spent a lot of time in Mark’s flat alone. I would walk to the graveyard near his place and take pictures, and get inspiration… Dead Witches is really a lot of Mark’s ideas and influence.”

I think we can expect great things from this band.   The psychedelic elements and influences of each member of Dead Witches gleam through and come together in this album.   Pairing great pals with seasoned musicians from already established, amazing acts, this band was already doomed to succeed right from the start.   The members’ experience shows in the sense of urgency put forth to record, produce, and release this album, despite challenges.   Recorded with John Chuckalumba at Chuckalumba Studios in the U.K., the band had creative freedom with Ouija and allowed their passion into the music, without worrying about a record label creating boundaries.   Although Mark mentioned he has “always done doom music, but never listened to a massive great deal of doom,” this album is one for the doom record books.

Ouija is scheduled for release on February 10th via Heavy Psych Sounds.

Get it here.