Australia’s Witchskull released their sophomore album Coven’s Will on Lee Dorrian’s trusty doom label Rise Above Records last year, and while Witchskull have all the sludgy, trad-doom riffs you’d expect from a band called Witchskull on Rise Above Records, singer/guitarist Marcus De Pasquale has a wail that’s more Mars Volta than Ozzy Osbourne. The album’s also got thick, killer production courtesy of the famed Billy Anderson as well as Jason Fuller who helmed Witchskull’s debut. “Sonically, we knew Billy would be able to capture huge tones and we knew Jason would be able to mix it how we wanted. Jason did our first record, so having him there was a huge bonus. We wanted to make the album as organically as possible, going live to tape without click tracks and capturing most of it in the first or second take. Working with Billy was definitely an experience we’ll never forget. He also introduced us to Erica Stoltz (Sanhedrin/ex-Amber Asylum) who sang on two of the songs, and she did an amazing job,” said drummer Joel Green.
Coven’s Will is good stuff, and if you haven’t heard it, you can stream it below or get it via iTunes. We’ve also got the premiere of the video for “Breathing Blue Light,” which was filmed just outside of the band’s hometown of Canberra, Australia, and — in the band’s own words — “captures a taste of the raw occult power that is Witchskull.” Check out the Richard Grainger-directed clip below.