Keeping my zone chill and skuzzy with some fuzzed-out, slow-burn doom metal out of Chicago.
Witch of the Future is the debut LP from Black Road, released on the very underground Dark Hedonistic Union Records in 2019, and it is still their only full-length album. DHU doesn’t release many records, but when they do, it's usually worth taking notice. Black Road began in earnest on Halloween 2016 and consists of Tim M. on guitar, Robert Gonzales on drums, Casey Papp on bass, and Suzi Uzi performing vocals. Their hazy, psychedelic vibe is heavily reminiscent of the original cult psych-band, Chicago’s own, Coven, while smoothly integrating elements of fluid R’nB à la Jefferson Airplane and the throbbing, bristled churn of Mastodon-esque sludge. This dynamic is executed brilliantly on the title track and evolves beautifully on the badly warped, minimalist acid rock of "Torches," the lumbering, Obsessed-indebted "Blood on the Blade" featuring a particularly Jinx Dawson-like vocal performance by Suzi, and the moody electric blues of "End of Man." The future is a bitch, and only the witchy will weather its storms. Feed your head until curious mushrooms mulch your crumbly carcass and put your flame back in the soil.
