All Them Witches

At the Garage

Nashville quartet All Them Witches, purveyors of sludgy blues psych since 2012, migrate their perpetual cloud of smoke to Winston-Salem’s Garage for essentially one 51-minute-long riff. The first of six tracks ripped from 2014’s sophomore effort Lightning at the Door, “Mountain” finds guitarist Ben McLeod on an absolute tear, strangling his keys until warped begins to sound normal and normal rings warped. Combining the simmering groove officiating the “Marriage of Coyote Woman” with a standout from 2012 debut Our Mother Electricity, “Elk.Blood.Heart,” the rockers weave a nefarious honeymoon – and foreshadow her demise. Finally, singer/bassist Michael Parks proves he can use his voice for more than yelling over McLeod on “When God Comes Back.” Closing on Albert King’s downtrodden “Born Under a Bad Sign,” All Them Witches catch a sweet groove they unfortunately never quite find with original material. (Wed., 12mid, Bar 96)

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This article appears in March 20 • 2015.

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