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.
The children of coyote woman
All Them Witches Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lived at the top of Ouachita Bend
When momma died they laid her down
And quickly took to squabblin'
Over this one's mine
If you take that then you'll never be my brother
Oh if you take mine
They'd get to thumpin' and the house would quake
They'd call the lightning down from god's front gate
And all the neighbors had to move along
For fear they'd all get caught up in the wake
Of the titan goddess
And her good old boys in the oubliette of life in a southern county
Oh the titan goddess
And her good old boys in the oubliette of life in a southern county
Oh the titan goddess
And her good old boys in the oubliette of life in a southern county again
Romulus and Remus Hill
Fought all the way down the road through town
None could stop their evil brawl
Until they reached the county burial ground
Then the lightning spoke:
"The living god is just a silhouette of a face upon the mountain"
And the thunder roared:
"St Michael's sword was just a hurricane being born in the valley"
And the lightning spoke:
"The living god is just a silhouette of a face upon the mountain"
And the thunder roared:
"St Michael's sword was just a hurricane being born in the valley again"
A hurricane being born in the valley again
A hurricane being born in the valley again
The lyrics of All Them Witches's song "The Children of Coyote Woman" tell a story that is loosely based on the legend of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. The song is about two brothers named Romulus and Remus Hill who live on Ouachita Bend, and who, after their mother dies, begin to squabble over their possessions. The lyrics convey their heated argument and the raging violence that follows it. As the two brothers fight, they call upon the power of the gods to aid them and all the neighbors flee to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
The lyrics then mention the "titan goddess" who, along with her "good old boys," resides in the southern county's "oubliette" or a place of forgotten things. Here, the goddess and her sons are a symbol of the destructive forces of nature in the rural South. As the brothers continue their fight, they eventually reach the county burial ground, where the lightning and thunder speak, enigmatically drawing parallels between nature and religion. The song ends with the repeated line, "a hurricane being born in the valley again," suggesting that the natural forces of the world are inescapable, and no human action can change their course.
Overall, the lyrics of "The Children of Coyote Woman" evoke a sense of chaos and violence that underscores the destructive nature of humanity. The song's use of religious and mythological imagery adds a layer of complexity, suggesting that the world's forces are too vast and beyond comprehension.
Line by Line Meaning
Romulus and Remus Hill
Two brothers named Romulus and Remus Hill
Lived at the top of Ouachita Bend
They lived at the top of Ouachita Bend
When momma died they laid her down
When their mother died, they buried her
And quickly took to squabblin'
And quickly started fighting with each other
Over this one's mine
Arguing over who owns what
If you take that then you'll never be my brother
Threatening to end the brotherly relationship if something is taken
Oh if you take mine
Continuing the threat of ending the brotherly relationship
If you do that then you'll never be my brother again
Stating that if something is taken, the brotherly relationship will never be repaired
They'd get to thumpin' and the house would quake
They would fight so hard that the house would shake
They'd call the lightning down from god's front gate
The brothers would cause lightning to strike during their fights
And all the neighbors had to move along
The neighbors had to leave the area because of the brothers' fights
For fear they'd all get caught up in the wake
They were afraid of getting hurt by the fighting
Of the titan goddess
Referring to a powerful female deity
And her good old boys in the oubliette of life in a southern county
Referring to the brothers and their chaotic lifestyle in a southern county
Romulus and Remus Hill
Referring to the two brothers again
Fought all the way down the road through town
Continuing their fighting even while traveling through town
None could stop their evil brawl
No one could stop their intense fighting
Until they reached the county burial ground
Their fighting ended when they reached the graveyard
Then the lightning spoke:
Lightning is personified as speaking
"The living god is just a silhouette of a face upon the mountain"
A statement that questions the true power and existence of a god
And the thunder roared:
Thunder is personified as roaring
"St Michael's sword was just a hurricane being born in the valley"
A statement that questions the true nature and origins of religious symbols
And the lightning spoke:
Continuing the personification of lightning speaking
"The living god is just a silhouette of a face upon the mountain"
Repeating the questioning of a god's true power and existence
And the thunder roared:
Continuing the personification of thunder roaring
"St Michael's sword was just a hurricane being born in the valley again"
Repeating the questioning of religious symbols and their true nature and origins
A hurricane being born in the valley again
Repeating the idea that religious symbols may have hidden or misunderstood origins
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Benjamin Robert McLeod, Charles Michael Parks, James Robert Staebler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Morphy
Oh, the titan gods , they just keep getting better and better.. Lyrics:
"Romulus and Remus' hill
Lived at the top of Ouachita Bend
Momma died, they laid her down
And quickly took to squabbling
Oh, but this one's mine
If you take that then you'll never be my brother
Oh, if you take mine
If you do that then you'll never be my brother
Again
They get to thumping and the house quaked
They call the lightning down from God's front gate
And all the neighbors had to move along
For fear they'd all get caught up in the wake
Of the titan gods
Good old boys in the
Oubliette of life
Southern county
Oh, the titan gods
The good old boys in the
Oubliette of life
Southern county
Oh, the titan gods
Good old boys in the
Oubliette of life
Southern county
Again
Romulus and Remus' hill
Fought all the way down the road through town
None could stop their evil brawl
Until they reached the county burial ground
And the lightning spoke
Living gods, just a silhouette
Face upon the mountain, and the thunder roared
Saint Michael's swords, just a hurricane being born
In the valley, and the lightning spoke
Living gods, just a silhouette
Face upon the mountain, and the thunder roared
Saint Michael's swords, just a hurricane being born
In the valley, again
A hurricane being born
In the valley, again
A hurricane being born
In the valley, again"
fourfoureighteight
Romulus and Remus' hill
Lived at the top of Ouchita Bend
Momma died, they laid her down
And quickly took to squabbling
Oh, but this one's mine
If you take that, then you'll never be my brother
Oh, if you take mine
If you do that, then you'll never be my brother again
They get to thumping, and the house quaked
They call the lightning down from God's front gate
And all the neighbors had to move along
For fear they'd all get caught up in the wake
Of the titan gods
Good old boys and the oubliette of life
Southern county, oh, the titan gods
Good old boys and the oubliette of life
Southern county, oh, the titan gods
Good old boys and the oubliette of life
Southern county again
Romulus and Remus' hill
Fought all the way down the road through town
None could stop their evil brawl
Until they reached the county burial ground
And the lightning spoke
Living gods, just a silhouette
Face upon the mountain, and the thunder roared
St Michael's sword is just a hurricane being born
Being born In the valley, and the lightning spoke
Living gods, just a silhouette
Face upon the mountain, and the thunder roared
St Michael's sword is just a hurricane
Being born in the valley, again
A hurricane being born in the valley again
A hurricane being born in the valley again
Shannon Sankey
This band is criminally underrated.
Karan N Rao
Always wondered what it would have been like in the 70s to follow and grow with a band like Pink Floyd. I’ve finally got my own band to go through the spiral with.
William Carter
I had to reach my 40’s to finally find a band to follow and grow with.
Sergey Bobkov
Try also the Crippled Black Phoenix. It's music most close to Pink Floyd I've ever heard
Karan N Rao
@Sergey Bobkov I have listened to CBP. ‘Heart of Every Country’ is my favourite song. I generally like them but the new album is not promising.
All Them Witcheseses
They truly are a God send these days.. Mostly trash on the radio and ATW can't even get a damn spot on the charts.. Infuriating
Nicholas Mark
Ride the spiral with Tool as well.
Alma Sv
This is the band I have to see live when this stupid pandemic is over.
An Evolving Ape
DO not see them in a huge venue. It does them no justice.
Jonathan Lombard
They are awesome live. I need to see them again, too.