Review: Love Your Witch ‘Witches Burn Alive’
Whenever I get handed a live album, I’m always a bit sceptical. While on paper they sound like a good idea, a nice little keepsake from an incredible experience, but the end product usually leaves me feeling cold. I’ve been to a huge number of live shows in my time, and the ones that have been immortalised on vinyl seldom see the light of day, if I’m honest.

There are a few exceptions to this, Alice In Chains Unplugged, The Gathering Sleepy Buildings, and Sepultura’s Under A Pale Grey Sky all get regular play still, and Sepultura’s in particular, I was at that final Max Cavalera show, and listening back to that album still stirs a fire inside.
Aside from these though, I just don’t get any joy from live recordings. That being said, I’m not adverse to giving new things a try, so when I was sent the latest Love Your Witch release Witches Burn Alive I said I would review it, and go in with an open mind.
With no prior knowledge of the band, I set about exploring their music by listening to the album a few times. This intriguing trio from Tel Aviv, Israel, was quite a revelation. Judging only by the album cover, I hadn’t anticipated what would come from my stereo.
So, as for the album itself, Witches Burn Alive comprises nine tracks, seven of which are live and two from the studio. Now, for those who already know Love Your Witch, this will come as absolutely no surprise, but for those of you who are new to the table, just like me, you should be prepared for a stoner thrash onslaught, which is an absolute surprise to behold.
At times quite punky too, the overall sound reminds me of those Slayer and Ice-T collaborations, mixed with Black Sabbath and a touch of early Sepultura thrown in for good measure.
The two studio tracks, album opener Witches Burn Alive, and album closer Going Backwards capture the raw energy of the band, heavy bassy dirge, pummelling percussion and a loud wailing guitar, complete with an eclectic hard rock vocal, gritty and righteous. The track actually really reminds me of Stoned Jesus’ vibe, hard, abrasive and yet absolutely compelling.
Dark Sabbathy bass and a fifty-fifty split of Ozzy and Lemmy style vocals reach out from beyond…
The second studio track and album closer, Going Backwards, is the one where I draw my comparisons. The caustic visceral onslaught hits firmly at those Slayer and Ice-T tones. There is a real thrashy punk rock feel to it, and at times it even has me nodding towards Entombed’s DCLXVI: To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth era, when it all went from death to thrashy punk. The thing is, with Love Your Witch, they aren’t confined to one sound, they bounce around ideas until some ungodly noise sticks.
As for the remainder of the album, it’s a sludgy mix featuring seven tracks pulled from various moments of the band’s career and thrown out there for a live audience to hear. This is where it goes back to my early statements about having to have been there. The recording provides a great snapshot of the band in a live setting, especially during this particular show as on a couple of tracks, additional musician friends join them on the stage to engage in some sonic tomfoolery creating a unique experience for the audience.
This is especially true on track three, Dan Ezra Medley, when you can hear them effectively jamming with their pal Dan Ezra, hence the title. I guess if you were there, it would have been an incredible sight to have seen, but on record, I feel like it loses something.
That does not mean it’s not a great listen, but unless this is the complete set that was played and included for that reason, it may not be as easy to appreciate outside of the specific context, like an ‘if you know, you know’ situation. It’s exactly the same as track seven, Dust Medley, which sees Evya Naor and Ofek Cohen on vocals and guitar join them, where if you are a casual listener, then perhaps you won’t get the relevance.
Elsewhere though, it’s an impassioned energetic performance. Drums are absolutely smashed to smithereens, while the guitar wails to the heavens. Dark Sabbathy bass and a fifty-fifty split of Ozzy and Lemmy style vocals reach out from beyond. It’s a great overview of the band in a live setting, and for anyone who is new to Love Your Witch may want to explore further. For completists, I guess that this is a purchase that will be necessary, but the reality is just how many times will you really listen to it?
Like I’ve said, and maybe it’s just me, but who really listens to live albums over and over again? It has made me want to go back and listen to the band further though, and I will no doubt be on Bandcamp sometime soon trawling through their back catalogue.
Not by any means a bad album and the two studio tracks are super cool so my fingers are crossed a new studio album will be out sometime soon because if this is a brief look at what’s achievable, then I’m fully on board for the ride.
Label: Independent
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Scribed by: Lee Beamish