Kill Witch- Raise the Dead

 Well, I hope everyone had a loud and fun Halloween! 

I have a checkered past when it comes to crossover thrash. Overall, I like a few bands but, generally, its not a style I'm fond of. I tend to think its too silly and lacks any real musical aggression. Obviously there are exceptions. I do love Suicidal Tendencies and DRI. However, overall, I find the style lacking in the mania and insanity I love about thrash. 

Kill Witch is a new crossover thrash band from up in Canada. I ran across them a few years ago on an underground compilation called Tapes from the Crypt. They had two songs that actually played a crossover thrash style with the needed amount of aggression and mania I look for in thrash. Since then, I have followed them with interest waiting for new music. In the meantime they have released a few songs that also hinted at greatness. 

So, here we have their debut EP. And I have to say it lives up to the promise of the other songs I've heard. Though, to be fair, all of these songs have been released before in one way or another. Here in this EP, they are reworked slightly, making them faster and harder. Thrashy hardcore riffs collide with strong drumming and underlying bass thunder. Veronique's vocals have a half crazed sound that fits perfectly for this style. Good leads peal out of the guitar when the songs demand it. Wild lyrics celebrating horror and lamenting crackhead neighbors complete the picture as a humorous wink and a nod to the listeners, reminding me of a slightly more serious Cross Examination. 

Deadly serious in its execution but still mosh worthy and a little bouncy in a fun way, Raise the Dead is a really good debut from a young thrash band these days. They are original as well. While I could list bands I can hear influence from the songs and style are Kill Witch's own. Anyone into crossover or Thrash, in general, should pick this up. I am certainly looking forward to more. Until that comes though I will continue to mosh around my rec room to this fantastic EP for years to come, at least as long as my body allows it. 

Highlights: This is a short 17 minute blast and all the tracks are great so just listen to the whole thing. Make sure to check them out at their Bandcamp page. Here's hoping for more material soon,

Thanks for reading! Come back soon for more reviews and keep banging those heads!

https://killwitch.bandcamp.com/album/raise-the-dead-2