Nick Pipitone of Monster Riff described how the band are "influenced just as much by Dr. John and Mississippi bluesman Junior Kimbrough as they are by Black Sabbath and progressive metal" and that their music can "venture from bluesy riffs and folk tales to spacey neo-psychedelic to punishing doom rock." Similarly, Rob Hughes of Classic Rock Magazine noted how "[All Them Witches are] as likely to create boiling riptides of bluesy psychedelia as they are pools of mystic folk and doomy ambience."
The band consists of Charles Michael Parks, Jr (vocals, bass, guitar), Ben Mcleod (guitar, formerly vocals) and Robby Staebler (drums). Formed in 2012, All Them Witches were quick to release their debut, Our Mother Electricity. It consisted of a heavy blend of stoner rock-y guitars and bass, rhodes and powerful, rhythmic drums. This would set the cornerstone for their sound, soon developing into the more mysterious grooves and atmosphere on 2013's followup Lightning At The Door. This release gained real traction for the band and gave them their likely most well-known track to date, When God Comes Back.
Taking a break from the creative front, the band released a live album in 2015, featuring a bluesy cover of Albert King's Born Under A Bad Sign. Not long after, they announced their third studio release, Dying Surfer Meets His Maker. Much like the rest of their catalogue, this album truly showcased every member's best abilities. From calm opener Call Me Star to emotional ending track Blood And Sand/Milk And Endless Waters, the album won fans' hearts, and gained the band more well deserved attention.
That brings us to their 2016 live release, recorded from a show in Brussels, which contains the band playing older songs as well as another cover, being of Abner Jay's My Middle Name Is The Blues.
Keyboardist/violinist Allan van Cleave left the band around this time, shortly replaced by keyboardist Jonathan Draper.
Not long after, in February 2017, they came out with another amazing record. Sleeping Through The War made quick success, being a unique, spacey album notably produced by Dave Cobb. It added dynamics and, surprisingly, more atmosphere to what was already a steadily evolving sound from such an active, young band.
2018's self-titled ATW was announced to be the band's first release without a keyboard player, after Draper's departure. This album's characteristics include groovy stoner riffs with blues influence, slowing down and speeding up throughout the LP, ending with the haunting Rob's Dream.
Nearly two years later, and after a lot of touring, the band has come out with their latest record, Nothing As The Ideal, recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Harboring a sound akin to that of their single 1X1, this album is by far the group's heaviest--though it does contain softer ballads like Everest and the incredibly emotional Rats in Ruin.
Heavy/Like a Witch
All Them Witches Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the cloud breaks split
What happened to you?
I thought you were my fix
You take what you want
Sew it back with a stitch
Light as a candle
You caused the cracks in the sky
The trees, the sticks
What happened to you?
I thought you were my fix
A disposable dark room
Inside a joint with many heads
What happened to you?
I thought you were my fix
You take what you want
Sew it back with a stitch
Light as a candle
Heavy like a witch
Cut of the hand
That you promised me
Give me medication
And tell me I'm free
Shots rang out
When the cloud breaks split
What happened to you?
I thought you were my fix
You take what you want
Sew it back with a stitch
Light as a candle
Heavy like a witch
At the heart of "Heavy/Like a Witch" by All Them Witches is a sense of betrayal and confusion. The song seems to be directed at someone who was supposed to be a support system but has now turned their back on the singer. The lines "What happened to you? I thought you were my fix" convey a sense of disappointment and disillusionment as the singer realizes that the person they relied on is no longer reliable. The repeated refrain of "You take what you want / Sew it back with a stitch / Light as a candle / Heavy like a witch" captures the conflicting emotions that the singer is feeling: on one hand, they recognize that this person has the power to fix their problems, but on the other, their actions are causing problems of their own. The metaphor at the end of the song, "Cut off the hand / That you promised me / Give me medication / And tell me I'm free" suggests that the singer is now seeking something more clinical and perhaps less personal in order to deal with their struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Shots rang out
The sound of gunfire was heard in the distance.
When the cloud breaks split
There was a loud thunderstorm and the clouds were split apart.
What happened to you?
The singer is questioning what caused the other person to change.
I thought you were my fix
The other person was supposed to help the artist with their problems.
You take what you want
The other person is selfish and takes what they want without considering others.
Sew it back with a stitch
The other person tries to fix what they took, but it's not the same as it was before.
Light as a candle
The other person can be gentle and kind.
Heavy like a witch
The other person can also be manipulative and controlling.
You caused the cracks in the sky
The other person is responsible for causing problems and chaos.
The trees, the sticks
The other person's actions have affected everything around them.
A disposable dark room
The singer is in a temporary and insignificant place.
Inside a joint with many heads
The artist is surrounded by many people, but feels alone.
Cut of the hand
The other person broke a promise or failed to deliver on something important.
That you promised me
The other person made a commitment to the singer that they did not keep.
Give me medication
The singer wants something to numb the pain or help them forget about the other person.
And tell me I'm free
The artist wants to be reassured that they can move on and live their life without the other person holding them back.
Contributed by Luke A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Monika Turalija
on Easy
EASY
well how you shake it so easily
and how you drift so slow
where were you when i was down
where were you when i couldn't stay
where were you when my hand shook
give me a chance and I'll open the door
just don't drift off too easily
work just a little bit more
take my hand it's shaking lord
write my mother so she knows
how you shake it so easily
and how you drift so slow
get drink our pour it down your throat
feel you heartbeat nice and slow
lay down and close your eyes
here is your chance to take control
just don't drift off too easily
work just a little bit more
take my hand it's shaling lord
write my mother so she knows