Crippled Lucifer combines the two previous releases from anguished doomsters Burning Witch, Towers and Rift. Canyon. Dreams, into one jam packed 2CD set. For collectors and fans of the band, Southern Lord has really upped the bar on this one-the booklet itself is worth the price of admission, packed with rare photos, notes, and disturbing drawings that will leave you shaking your head at just how evil they are. As far as the music goes, this is plodding, wretched doom, complete with harsh, almost black metal styled vocals, mammoth guitar dirges, feedback galore, huge bass throbs, and crushing drum work. It's raw, it's ugly, but these recordings still sound relevant today some 10+ years after their initial release. Many of the songs tend to go on forever through one putrid doom encrusted valley after another, a good example being the massive, suicidal "Sea Hag", complete with tortured screams and ponderous riffs. At near 15 minutes it's as bloated a doom metal track as you are ever going to hear. The material from the Rift. Canyon. Dreams album is not quite as evil sounding as Towers, and quite frankly, by the time you make it over to the second disc here, much of the groundbreaking force that Towers shows has started to wear a little thin. By this time, the band were on the verge of breaking up, and their mix of slowed down Sabbath, black metal, and Doors styled psychedelia was losing some of the power that the band showed initially. Still, for lovers of the underground doom scene, this is a must have set. Get it before it flies out of print for good.
Track Listing
CD 1-Towers
1) Sacred Predictions
2) Country Doctor
3) Tower Place
4) Sea Hag
5) The Bleeder
CD 2-Rift. Canyon. Dreams
1) Warning Signs
2) Stillborn
3) History of Hell (Crippled Lucifer)
4) Communion
5) Rift.Canyon.Dreams
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