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.
Mountain
All Them Witches Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So you ate them
Stole all the tongues
From the mouths of the babes
Spent your life making swords
for the lonely
Crawled around in the woods
I'd sell my sisters
Gone off to the mountain side
And I don't want to find them
I just wanna live my life
God bless our mother, the mountain
She filled all the holes gathered in my eyes
God bless our mother, the mountain
She filled all the holes gathered in my eyes
I would walk forever
Just to know you
Give me a place
And I will bless these walls
Show me the beast
I should sing to
Blood with reason
Clenched in your jaws
God bless our mother, the mountain
She filled all the holes gathered in my eyes
God bless our mother, the mountain
She filled all the holes gathered in my eyes
The lyrics to All Them Witches's song Mountain are enigmatic and shrouded in metaphor. Some interpretations suggest that the song explores themes of isolation, escapism, and self-sufficiency. The opening lines, "Found all the things to eat / So you ate them / Stole all the tongues / From the mouths of the babes," could represent a struggle for survival, with the singer or protagonist of the song resorting to extreme measures to nourish themselves, even taking the ability to speak away from innocent children.
The verse, "Spent your life making swords / for the lonely / Crawled around in the woods / Cutting legs from the snakes" could represent a sense of alienation, where the singer - or perhaps society as a whole - has become disconnected from their fellow beings and spends their days making weapons and destroying things. The lines "I'd sell my sisters / Gone off to the mountain side / And I don't want to find them / I just wanna live my life" reinforce this idea, as they suggest a willingness to sacrifice others for the sake of individual freedom.
The chorus, "God bless our mother, the mountain / She filled all the holes gathered in my eyes," is an example of the song's use of religious and natural imagery. The mountain could represent a source of strength, stability, and comfort for the singer, who feels hole-filled and searching for something to hold onto, whether it be a place, a person or a belief.
Line by Line Meaning
Found all the things to eat
Discovering all possible desires and fulfilling them until satiation
So you ate them
Indulging in every pleasure found, without any restraint or self-control
Stole all the tongues
Silencing the voice of innocence or truth
From the mouths of the babes
Taking advantage of the weak or vulnerable
Spent your life making swords
Filling one's existence with pointless tasks or pursuits
for the lonely
Aiming to use these tasks or pursuits as a solution for isolation
Crawled around in the woods
Wandering in the darkness of confusion, lost and searching
Cutting legs from the snakes
Harming oneself or others, without a clear understanding of the consequences
I'd sell my sisters
Betraying those closest to oneself for personal gain
Gone off to the mountain side
Choosing solitude or isolation as a means of avoiding responsibility or hardship
And I don't want to find them
Preferring to remain detached and removed from personal connections or relationships
I just wanna live my life
A selfish and self-centered ideology focusing solely on individual desires
God bless our mother, the mountain
A prayer to nature or spirituality for guidance and protection
She filled all the holes gathered in my eyes
Finding understanding and clarity within the natural world or higher power
I would walk forever
A willingness to endure long and difficult journeys or challenges
Just to know you
Seeking knowledge and understanding of a person, place, or thing
Give me a place
Requesting a sense of belonging or home
And I will bless these walls
Expressing gratitude and appreciation for the blessings in one's surroundings
Show me the beast
A desire for confrontation or facing one's fears
I should sing to
A desire for a target or purpose for one's actions or expressions
Blood with reason
Finding justification or purpose in violent or aggressive actions
Clenched in your jaws
Enduring and persevering through challenges or obstacles with determination and strength
Contributed by Isaiah R. 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