Witch Mountain
Mobile of Angels
Profound Lore
Street: 09.30
Witch Mountain = Serpentcult + The Sleer – YOB

Bands like Witch Mountain are a dime a dozen nowadays. With lazy, half-hearted riffs plodding endlessly toward unsatisfying conclusions, the one thing keeping Mobile of Angels out of a Wal-Mart bargain bin is Uta Plotkin’s stellar vocal performance. Yet, whenever Rob Wrong backs off his self-conscious pretense of heaviness, the album noticeably improves. “Your Corrupt Ways (Sour the Hymn)” and “The Shape Truth Takes” play to the band’s strengths, incorporating a sparser sound that lends Plotkin’s lilting harmonies a sorrowful sincerity. Perhaps it’s a good thing that Plotkin has finally left the band—her potential feels wasted here. In the wake of her departure, it’s not quite clear what the rest of the band will have to offer, but they’re going to need to step up significantly to make up for her absence. In the meantime, I will keep an eye out for where Plotkin goes next. –Henry Glasheen