In what will be seen as the doom metal veterans' mightiest work yet, Mobile of Angels sees WITCH MOUNTAIN create a wondrous album of heavy, bluesy sultry doom with their latest release which merges the band's signature crushing rhythms with moving doom-metal balladry. New surprises also lurk amongst the journey of Mobile of Angels where the band take their implementation of melancholy to a whole new epic level where vocalist Uta Plotkin delivers her most stunning and most developed vocal performance to date. Where the band continue to progress musically with each succeeding album, Plotkin's vocal performance continues to grow stronger, more defined and moving. Mobile of Angels is the evidence of all this. Produced and engineered by Billy Anderson, who has now had a long-standing working relationship with the band.
Review
Witch Mountain, which was founded by Wrong and Carson in the late '90s, has said the band will continue without Plotkin, but there can be little doubt they'll have their work cut out for them in assembling a new dynamic after the utter mastery they show on Mobile of Angels. That's not to say it can't be done, only that it will take time. When one considers the efforts put in by the band on tour and over the two records leading to this one, Mobile of Angels looks all the more like a high point reached, the culmination of the years since Witch Mountain came back together and the arrival at what they've been pursuing all along. If subsequent outings show that's not the case - i.e., if that pursuit continues off in a different direction - then all the better, but no question Mobile of Angels marks the end of something special for Witch Mountain and is bittersweet for American doom. All is fleeting. - The Obelisk 5/5
