Nothing as the Ideal
Nothing as the Ideal makes its heaviness feel patient. All Them Witches build these songs from blues-rooted guitar, firm bass lines and rhythms that are happy to hold a groove. The psychedelic side comes through in the space around those parts: strange background sounds, slowly changing textures and melodies that do not hurry towards a chorus. It is a dark album, but an inviting one if that pace suits you.
Saturnine & Iron Jaw opens with atmosphere before the heavier guitars arrive. The transition gives the riff more weight, setting up an album where the quieter material has an active role. Enemy of My Enemy keeps the pressure on with a more direct, heavy rhythm. The short instrumental Everest then gives the guitar room to speak on its own, providing a useful break before the longer tracks take over.
See You Next Fall is one of the central pieces. Its bass groove holds the song together while the guitar works around it, and the gradual changes create tension without depending on a single huge release. Michael Parks Jr.'s restrained voice fits that approach. The singing does not fight the instruments for attention, which leaves more room for small movements in the sound.
There are more immediate moments too. 41 brings a harder guitar attack, while Lights Out gets its force from a steady, weighty push. Rats in Ruin takes a longer path towards the finish. Its quieter passages almost seem to settle the song before the guitar and drums return with greater intensity. That final build gives the record an effective ending without changing the character of everything before it.
The main limitation is the same quality that makes the album work. Some passages develop so gradually that they can feel static if the details do not catch your attention. Anyone waiting for a quick chorus or a new riff every few bars will have a long wait. The more reserved singing can also make the longest tracks feel less direct than the shorter, harder pieces.
All Them Witches keep enough variation inside that approach to make the time worthwhile. Nothing as the Ideal is heavy rock built around feel and careful movement, with strong grooves giving the atmosphere a solid base. It is a good choice for listeners who want to follow a band further into a song rather than rush to its next big moment.
