Album Review: Dead Heavens – Whatever Witch You Are

New York City’s Dead Heavens is the latest project of the prolific Walter Schreifels, whose pedigree includes Vanishing Life, Gorilla Biscuits, Rival Schools and Quicksand, the band also includes members of Youth Gone Mad, White Zombie, Psychotica, Cults, Youth Of Today, Bold and Into Another. When you consider Dead Heavens extensive hardcore, punk and post hardcore credentials you probably think you’ve got a handle on what to expect, well you’d be wrong as this latest release sees Walter Schreifels remaining as unpredictable as ever and heading off into a new and unexpected direction.

Dead Heavens stand apart from the aforementioned projects Walter Schreifels has been involved in, Whatever Witch You Are takes us off into a decidedly headier psyche influenced direction. Rainbow Of The Ohm Chart eases you into album before Basic Cable, a blues influenced slab of psychedelic rock, confirms that this is a move away from Walter’s punk rock roots. But it’s not a complete turn around, Away From The Speed offers a proto punk influenced blast that is reminiscent of Vanishing Life, but for the most part this a laid back album of modern psychedelia that embraces blues influences alongside the lysergic elements

Whatever Witch You Are is closer to the blues and psychedelia of classic albums such as Disraeli Gears or Electric Ladyland rather than the comparisons you’d expect from a release from Walter Schreifels, but despite the shift in style he manages to incorporate the distinctive hallmark of his previous releases. The result is an album that somehow manages to be simultaneously completely different from anything he’s previously released whilst being an album that couldn’t have been released by anyone else, for me Whatever Witch You Are is the equal of Walter Schreifels previous releases and confirms his status as one of the most original and unpredictable stalwarts of the punk scene.

Whatever Witch You Are will be released tomorrow, June 16 2017, via Dine Alone Records and will be available on vinyl, with purple and purple and black splatter variants, CD, cassette and digital formats and is now available for pre-order from Dine Alone Records here