South of Salem

Though most doom-metal re-creationists stick to the late-'60s and early-'70s template forged by Black Sabbath (save for a few newer bands that sound inspired by Pentagram and Saint Vitus) the Portland, Ore.–based Witch Mountain takes a fresh approach to a vintage blueprint. Its 2011 sophomore album, South of Salem, was the first to feature female singer Uta Plotkin, who balances the fuzzed-out sludge riffs with soulful wailing that at times sounds like a tougher Grace Slick. Guitarist Rob Wrong seems equally infatuated with Jimi Hendrix and Tony Iommi; some moments in “Plastic Cage” sound like what might have happened had Hendrix briefly joined Ozzy Osbourne–era Black Sabbath. Plotkin’s singing weaves in and out of the song, steering it back to sound like San Francisco ballroom-era acid-rock. (One could easily imagine Witch Mountain sharing the stage of The Fillmore West with Blue Cheer.) “Hare’s Stare” is the heaviest cut here. Over a lumbering rhythm section, Wrong unleashes towering riffs that nearly upstage Plotkin’s versatile voice.