the doom of Witch Mountain (U.S.)

Biography: WITCH MOUNTAIN BIO 2020: When venerable UK metal magazine Kerrang announced a long-awaited US edition in 2018, the very first band featured in its inaugural Sounds of the Underground series was Witch Mountain, who they called, “one of the longest rocking, most important Doom Metal bands in the United States.” This article and dozens like it ran all over America and Europe in response to the latest chapter in the bands’ storied saga: the release of its self-titled fifth album. Witch Mountain (Svart, 2018) was the first full-length to feature vocalist Kayla Dixon, who NPR called, “…a rarity in doom-metal, a singer with soul, dynamism, drama, control and poise.” The musical partnership of Rob Wrong (guitars) and Nate Carson (drums) began in 1997 with the founding of Portland, Oregon’s first doom metal band. The intervening years saw the band bloom into an international entity with a series of acclaimed albums (issued stateside by Profound Lore) and a hearty tour schedule that included festivals like Roadburn, Hellfest, Desertfests (London and Berlin), Scion Rock Fest, and Hopscotch.

By early 2015 bassist Justin Brown and vocalist Kayla Dixon solidified the band’s greatest lineup and helped to produce new music that rocked fans both new and old. Tours followed with Enslaved, YOB, Danzig, Superjoint, Saint Vitus, and a triumphant appearance at Psycho Las Vegas. A new composition, “Midnight” was released as part of the 2017 Adult Swim Singles Series in anticipation of the following year’s full-length. In addition to another original single, “Burn You Down”, and a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Sleeping Village” on a Cleopatra Records tribute album, Decibel premiered a lyric video for the brand new track “Priceless Pain” to coincide with the band’s 2019 tour with Corrosion of Conformity.

2020 sees the band writing new music in guitarist Rob’s Wrong Way Recording studio, and preparing to hit the road for a series of tours in the US and Europe, where fans will get another heavy dose of the band’s patented and ever-unfurling traditional American doom/blues. Witch Mountain still maintains total artistic control. The band is self-managed, self-booked, and owns its entire back catalog. We are proud to be over twenty years in, having never peaked along the way.

Witch Mountain by Witch Mountain