ANKH TV

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Album Overview

Released on January 27, 2017 via Soulseller Records, Sound of the Wind captures Psychedelic Witchcraft at a moment of clear focus and intent. The Florence-based quartet fold occult-tinged atmospherics into a framework of blues-rooted heavy rock and earthy stoner groove, balancing smoky melody with thick, fuzz-forward riffing. Across ten tracks, the band lean into an old-soul sensibility without lapsing into pure revivalism, letting their songs breathe with dynamics, sultry vocal phrasing, and guitar lines that favor feel over flash.

Key Details

• Artist: Psychedelic Witchcraft
• Album: Sound of the Wind
• Release Date: January 27, 2017
• Label: Soulseller Records
• Country: Italy
• Location: Florence (Firenze)
• Genre: Occult / Stoner / Blues Rock

Lineup and Performances

• Virginia Monti – vocals
• Riccardo Giuffrè – bass
• Jacopo Fallai – guitar
• Mirko Buia – drums

The chemistry is immediate. Monti’s vocals carry a warm, velvety grain that sits confidently at the center, alternately hushed and commanding. Giuffrè’s bass tone is rounded and prominent, anchoring the low end with melodic counterlines that add movement to the riffs. Fallai’s guitar favors saturated, vintage-style distortion and expressive bends, with a knack for memorable motifs rather than overloaded solos. Buia’s drums are roomy and purposeful, the snare crack dry and decisive, cymbals used to bloom and recede with the songs’ dynamics. Together, they sound road-tested and unhurried, comfortable letting grooves simmer before turning the heat up.

Sound and Style

Sound of the Wind is steeped in the language of 1970s heavy rock and blues, but its center of gravity lies in mood and ritual, not mimicry. The production emphasizes warmth and headroom. Guitars and bass spill into one another in the midrange, with the rhythm section leaving ample space for the vocals to draw the eye. The tonal palette embraces saturated fuzz, clean guitar chime in quieter passages, and reverb applied as atmosphere rather than a blanket. Tempos swing from swaggering mid-pace to unhurried slow-burn, underlining the album’s dichotomy of seduction and menace.

Lyrically and thematically, the record conjures imagery aligned with occult rock’s classic preoccupations: initiation, temptation, power, and self-revelation. The titles themselves frame a narrative arc that opens with invocations, spirals through conflict and desire, and emerges into reflection. The writing avoids shock tactics in favor of suggestion. That restraint gives the material a timeless quality, closer to blues storytelling than to theatrical horror.

Track Highlights

Maat acts as an invocation, setting the tone with a ritualistic ambiance that ushers the listener into the record’s shadowed space. It’s a brief but effective preface, placing emphasis on texture and anticipation.

Lords of the War lands with a sturdy, riff-first approach. The guitar locks to a lumbering groove as the rhythm section digs deep, giving Monti room to cut sharp vocal lines that ride the pocket. There’s a martial insistence to the beat that suits the song’s combative title.

Wild We Go swings harder, leaning into blues-rock sway with a touch of wistfulness. The chorus opens into widescreen melody, and the rhythm guitar drapes a fuzz blanket without smothering the hook. It’s one of the record’s most immediate earworms.

The title track, Sound of the Wind, stretches out as a slow-burn centerpiece. The arrangement builds patiently from hushed verses to heavier surges, the band playing with tension-and-release in a way that feels natural rather than orchestrated. The vocal performance is especially evocative, hovering between intimacy and incantation.

Turn Me On pivots to a sultry, nocturnal pulse. The bass leads with a rounded throb while the guitar accents the groove with needling phrases. It’s a study in restraint, proof that the band can drive momentum without overplaying.

Rising on the Edge quickens the pace with desert-rock propulsion and a bright, harmonically rich chorus. The drumming is crisp and forward, the hi-hats snapping the groove into focus as the guitar carves out lean, melodic lines.

The Warrens cools the temperature with creeping, minor-key tension. The guitars adopt a slightly cleaner bite in the verses, allowing dynamics to breathe before the chorus thickens the air again. It feels cinematic without crossing into melodrama.

Sin of Mine moves like a confessional blues, the vocal phrasing intimate and close to the mic. The rhythm section plays it low and steady, foregrounding the lyric and letting nuance carry the weight.

Let Me Be Myself is a statement of self-possession, marrying a reflective verse to a liberating, melodic release. The band keeps the arrangement uncluttered so the message lands with clarity.

Horizons closes the album with a sense of arrival. Even without grandstanding, it projects breadth and forward motion, the final minutes widening into a satisfying, resonant fade.

Tracklist

• 1. Maat – 00:00
• 2. Lords of the War – 01:24
• 3. Wild We Go – 05:06
• 4. Sound of the Wind – 09:36
• 5. Turn Me On – 14:10
• 6. Rising on the Edge – 19:25
• 7. The Warrens – 24:16
• 8. Sin of Mine – 28:16
• 9. Let Me Be Myself – 31:54
• 10. Horizons – 35:30

Production and Atmosphere

The album’s sonic character favors organic textures. Guitar tones bloom with saturated overdrive rather than hyper-compressed distortion. The bass maintains definition amid the fuzz, its phrasing occasionally stepping to the fore to shape transitions. Drums sound mic’d at a respectful distance, giving toms a natural resonance and leaving air around cymbals. Vocals sit forward but not detached, integrated into the mix so that the reverb reads as a room around the singer instead of a separate effect. This approach fits the material, placing authenticity and feel above polish for polish’s sake.

Context and Legacy

Within the broader terrain of modern occult and heavy psych, Sound of the Wind distinguishes itself through songwriting economy and a clear attachment to the blues. Where many peers chase maximal volume or labyrinthine arrangements, Psychedelic Witchcraft keep their focus on hooks, dynamics, and a sense of lived-in groove. The record’s blend of ritual atmosphere, vintage color, and grounded performance places it comfortably in the lineage of heavy rock with a dark heart, while asserting a voice that feels personal to the band’s Italian roots and noir-tinged sensibility.

Final Verdict

Sound of the Wind is a cohesive and inviting full-length that rewards both casual listens and deeper immersion. It offers strong songs, memorable vocal turns, and a production style that flatters the band’s strengths. For listeners drawn to the intersection of occult rock, stoner warmth, and blues feeling, this album stands as a dependable go-to, its spells cast with craft rather than excess.

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