Ian Astbury’s idea of a chorus was always different from everybody else’s. His blues-backed yowl was the cherry on every hit from his most famous undertaking, The Cult, and later, when he replaced Jim Morrison for The Doors reunion. Other than Howlin’ Wolf, who else could sing the phrase “smokestack lightning” as menacing? Here, he’s backed by Japanese metal militia Boris, and it’s clear the two camps are letting their characteristics rub off on each other: Astbury’s lyrics stay sinister on “We Are Witches” while Boris thrashes about in ’70s half-time. As a nod to their singer’s previous group, they cover “Rain” semi-faithfully, coating the guitars in alternating sludge and ambient lead tones. Boris vocalist Wata doesn’t have the heft Astbury does, but her high-pitched whisper is its own kind of eerie. A full-length is a foregone conclusion.
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