Satanic Witch : “4:44”

“4:44” is one of those albums that is intended for the ears of special kind of  music connoisseurs who love to listen to  music and use it as a drug  in order to dwell into another time and space, to lead  them straight into the confines of its own ritual… And this is not at all difficult task, when among the musicians  involved are Shaun Van Calster (Length of Time), Michel Kirby (Wolvennest), Isa and Selina (E-L-R), united under the veil of the Satanic Witch secret coven.

Dragging psychedelic guitars and incantations enticingly welcome the listener in the opening minutes of the first and title track “4:44”. Horror synths play in the background, and a well-known female melancholic voice appears, quickly turning into a witchy whisper, as if taken from a haunting movie soundtrack.

„Burn it to the ground…Burn it to the ground…Burn it to the ground…“

If anyone is somehow  familiar with the work SEPHER SEPHIROTH, they might think a little more about the title of the song and the album – the number 444 is represented as a symbol of Damascus or the sanctuary  there (see “Outside the Circles of Time”).
Another image that often appears and is associated with this number is that of the frog. In the Typhonian Gnosis, the frog represents the “leapers” on the back of the Tree of Life. Instead of going through all the tunnels on the dark side of the tree, the sorcerer takes the form of a frog and leaps up the tree of death.
The Vaultiguers method is used by the Black Serpent Cult of Bertiaux and Hecate is their goddess.
According to Grant (the author of “Outside the Circles of Time”): “She is one of the most important figures in the Draconian Cult, being the symbol of the Transformation from  astral existence to a terrestrial or tangible being.”
Of course, it’s all a matter of personal interpretation, and that’s the nice part about this title – you’re left to soar entirely on the wings of your imagination and participate directly in the “4:44” ritual according to your own perceptions, pushed past your own your limits.

Immediately following the cinematic intro, a rapid tremolo kicks in and black metal vocals reverberate through the space, surrounded by smooth atmospheric and cold layers of guitars that form a wall of enchanting abundance of sound on second track ‘Mirror Time’. An unpredictable auditory narrative takes place, leading you to a number of strong moments in its individual chapters – we can hear both fast classic black metal riffs and drum blasts, as well as more occult-sounding slower melodies and ghostly chants, furious shouts and clear messages. Mirror time has strong mystical symbolism and Satanic Witch recreate it in an intriguing way.

Carried away by  the music, enchanted by  each of the six tracks, it occurs to me that if you like the music of E-L-R and Wolvennest, you’ll be put into a state of complete trance here – the newly formed entity combines all the most appealing elements of both formations, adding a harsher touch that gives the record a specific coldness and ritualistic atmosphere.

Soaked in symbolism and obscure magic, “4:44”  is an aural journey for the brave dark souls who don’t just like to listen to music, but experience it deeply. With a rich palette of sounds, Satanic Witch presents a beautiful symbiosis of different genres, turning the title into a psychedelic hallucination, redolent of recently lit ritual candles…

Score: 9/10

Hear the song  “Mirror Hour” below :

The single “For None”:

Band: Satanic Witch
Album: „4:44“
Release date: December 5th, 2023
Label: Ván Records
Pre-order link: https://bit.ly/40NQ5lj