Score 7.5
Written by Matt Longo
Published on 11/5/2012
I aimed to start a review on Halloween and was feeling kinda cheesy, so I decided to scan my ‘Recent
Adds’ playlist for anything with “witch” involved. Since Witchcraft is already reserved for review
here, my eyes quickly scanned over to shEver’s genre tag: witch doom. It’s funny — for all the years
you spend covering heavy music, every so often a band throws you a curveball like that.
Although shEver provides sweet estrogen-fueled doom with a vicious edge, striking a strange balance
between the wide-eyed depravity of Monarch! and the heavy-lidded dreaminess of Ides of Gemini.
One direction is typically favored over another, but the hybrid is positively nailed on tracks like “(You
Are) The Mirror”, where frontwoman Alexandra repeats “The world’s reflecting in your eyes” as
guitarist Jessica and [now former] bassist Nadine weave a dense tapestry of deliberate riffs and
enthralling three-part harmony.
Despite the band’s Swiss origins, they also sing in Portuguese (“Delirio”) and French (“Je Suis Née”),
though mostly intone in English. They shade with not only this multilingual approach, but additional
instruments, like Nadine’s violin across the concluding 99 seconds of “Souls Colliding” — fast
becoming my favorite during full spins.
The main caveat with music like this is always the same: When do you listen to it? I understand that
shEver feeds particular gloomy moods, and this ain’t music for doomsters of all stripes… much less
your average metalhead… and much much less than your average dinner guests. But this is fucking
artistry, where accessibility and commercial gain are anomalous.
I still wish more of these tunes stuck in my head, but the ones that do keep me in arms-crossed-anddownturned-
smiling glee. The ladies implore “Follow us into a witch’s dream / Follow us into the
endless green” on opener “Ritual of Chaos”… and perhaps we’re never meant to return, but move
ever forward. What frustrates me is the subtle stuff, like how the word ‘chaos’ feels so out-of-place
amongst methodically trudging doom metal; shEver doesn’t lurch around, they plod on — with a 7+
minute song length on the low end, no less.
Perhaps most importantly for the future, there just needs to be greater musical dynamics. Their
thick, rich reverbed tone envelops every time, often ascending toward magical, mantric heights. But
shEver will no sooner caress your face than box your ears, and Alexandra’s growls are the culprit. She
has solid pipes for sure, but further exploration and stronger control would benefit the band
immensely overall. Swiss doom is rare, and there may yet be room for shEver to hone their own
obelisk. The buzz leads right into Souls Colliding, a perfect follow-up to Je Suis Nee. Jessica hits a cool,
shallow-wading strum while the band’s timing and restraint are brilliantly married. We’re slowly
lulled into the cobblestone creep that every doom-o-phile falls in love with. Guitars carve through
shEver – rituals
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the wall of sound, while the pained growl is symptomatic of the track’s awesome patience. A midtempo
sludge roll emerges, Nadine’s bass crashes to the cellar, and the marriage of melodic, drawnout
rhythms and riffs plunge southward. The slow, Persian collapse is one the album’s brightest
spots.
Persistent and unrelenting is (You Are) The Mirror, a sludgy doom stagger that shaves bone with an
organized sustenance. The priestess vocal parallels the plodding rhythm until a tarred and feathered
slow-motion sickness has listeners rocking back and forth. Pensive and boiled-down, the highs and
lows are fully realized on this pensive, grinding shit-pit. The soggy buzz of approaching rain begins
the album’s closer, That He Na Te. The agonizing pacing and cultish hillside vocals employ an
expanding thump with painstaking poise. The emerging back-scratching growls, choppy guitar
stutter, and primal drums make for Rituals’ fitting final chapter.
That a doom-metal band composed of four Swiss enchantresses can teach listeners a thing or two
about taking their time is a marvel in its own right. That they make it sound so paradoxically soothing
and evil is an exercise in mastery. There’s a mythos doom bands strive for, at times coming off dark
to the point of being unapproachable or majestic to the point of being campy. shEver strike a balance
carved neatly into their own corner. Their craft didn’t rely on trickery or sleight-of-hand. They simply
let things simmer a while.
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