Rustbelt Rock Review

By: Z.M. Delgado

Rustbeltrockreview.com

Volume #217: Atomic Witch “Death Etiquette” Album Release Party feat. Wallcreeper, A La Carte & Assault

Friday November 28th, 2025

Mahall’s 13200 Madison Ave Lakewood, OH 44107

Greetings Metal Heads! It is I Z.M. Delgado and I am back with another tale of unbelievable heaviness. From the twisted bowels of the Cleveland Underground, I emerge. Gather round as I spin this yarn... It all went down this past Friday at Mahall’s. Despite a recent snowstorm, I arrived extremely early, at around 4:45. There I rendezvoused with my partner Jimmy “The Dook” Fedor of Roxxxstarradio. You see, on the evening in question we were filming episode two of Heavy on Cleveland as we celebrated the release of Atomic Witch’s newest album: “Death Etiquette.” So on a freezing afternoon, we sat in The Dook’s truck and roasted a bone as we had our preshow strategy session. The Dook showed off the new gear he’d acquired and we planned. Then it was a brisk walk inside to begin to scout the location.

We bumped into Greg, frontman of Atomic Witch and ran through our plan. Then we did our best to stay our of the way as the room bustled with preshow activity. We perused the merch, which was laid out in an abundant spread. I made my purchase, a most excellent new Atomic Witch “Death Etiquette” shirt, as did The Dook. Soon there after our photographer, Jessica Mowrer of Stargazer Studios, arrived and we commenced with shooting. We did our thing and the bands loaded in. Time passed. After much effort we managed to corral all five members of Atomic Witch in the lobby and I commenced with my interview. I feel like it went well, really well in fact, and we ran right up to show time. At 7:00 on the dot we finished our talk and hurried into the club, Assault was taking to the stage.

Assault is a band that I have covered many times, and with who I am well acquainted. Now for those of you who have followed along with me from the roots of the RbRR, this first band is surely no stranger. But for our newcomers, I will provide a customary introduction. Assault is a four man Thrash Metal band. They are known for their high energy shows, their vicious song writing and their over the top Guitar solos. They took to the stage and as they did I glanced around the room. I was happy to see a very nice early crowd in place, despite the gnarly weather conditions. They opened up with a shredding rendition of “Obey/Decay” and unleashed a fury upon Mahall’s. What followed was a hard edged, no holds barred barrage of Thrash. On the mic the Vocals were snarled with a wrathful timbre. Both Guitarists ripped the six strings, delivering scorching solos one right after the other. On Bass, David “Rolling Thunder” laid out the low end for the first of his two sets that evening. (Rolling Thunder also provides Bass work for Atomic Witch.) Filling in behind the kit was the always amazing Grady. His rhythms were all power and precision as he drove the tempo home. Assault was relentless, jumping from one song to the next with rapidity, ensuring that they fit their full 6 song set into their afforded time slot. Highlights of the set for me were the monster tracks “Pinnacle of Suffering” and “Antebellum.” They closed out with the impossibly heavy “Obliviate,” bringing their time to an end. The crowd cheered excitedly, and sent Assault off with much honor and glory. I was riding high, excited to see one of my favorite scene acts… that is until I received devastating news. The Dook had discovered something awful. You remember that interview I did? The one that I thought went really well? As it turns out, due to an unforeseen technical issue, none of the footage would be usable. As The Dook reported the news, my stomach dropped. I was devastated. Deeply concerned for the future of the episode, I did the only thing I could think of at the time. We went outside into the frigid temps and smoked a joint.

We strategized, rallied and returned to the club with renewed purpose. There was no time to wallow in defeat. A La Carte was taking to the stage and we had a job to do. So, I with my notebook, The Dook and The Stargazer with their cameras, we descended upon the floor and continued to work. What I didn’t know was I was about to watch something bizarre and unique. One thing that I love about Heavy Metal is it’s extreme diversity. From Black Sabbath on down, it has emerged in a myriad of different configurations and sounds. There is always a new angle. There is always a fresh new take. Just when you think Metal has run it’s course, it reemerges in a new form and with a new face. With that being said, A La Carte is what is called Culinary Metal. The band dresses as chefs and their frontman, in a purple suit, looked like some sort of mad Maitre d. I would come to find out that their music has a distinctive food based theme. They had songs called “Chamber Pot Pie,” “Beef Stroakanoff” and “Aborted Eggs Benedict.” Call it a look, an angle or a gimmick… whatever it was A La Carte was trying to portray was simply a visual. It was time to let the music do the talking. So they began. As for their stats, A La Carte is a four piece act built from Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums. My first notes are about their amazing stage presence. They all moved and rocked out, particularly their Vocalist who was a blur of motion. Their music I described as “Crushing Heaviness,” and it was delivered with oppressive force. The Vocals were straight from the realms of Death; savage and raw. Their music was bizarre and brutal but also comical. I already mentioned the cooking theme. Adding to it were samples played between each song, primarily taken from the old South Park episode which involved sticking a turkey up your own ass. Things only got stranger as the set progressed. I believe it was the end of the fifth song when the singer removed his jacket. Then off came the shirt, followed by the pants. As the sixth and final song rolled out, he was down to just his bow tie and a tuxedo print speedo. It was quite a spectacle to behold. The crowd cheered mightly as the song ended and A La Carte finished up. As their singer said many times throughout the set, they were born to entertain, and based on what I witnessed, I believe it.

Eric Stevenson: The Official Tattoo Artist of the Rustbelt Rock Review

I noticed the crowd had continued to swell as we moved into our third set of the night: Wallcreeper. They are a four man band forged from Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums. They dominated from the outset, bringing a noisy, destructive sound. It was heavy, I mean really heavy, with tempo changes that signaled apparent Sludginess. They had an excellent Bass tone; rage filled, shouted Vocals and Drums that were nothing short of an eruption. Their stage presence was great, all members throwing down with vigor. The Vocalist grabbed his mic by the chord and began to swing it around in wide arcs. He stomped about and headbanged wildly. Eventually his violent movements led to a monitor being knocked off stage. The imposing frontman scooped it up with on hand and plopped it back in place effortlessly, all without pausing the song. I loved their energy, which was packed with power and cool ass riffs. I describe their sound as “like an avalanche” and as “a rip saw wrecker.” They played a total of eight songs, closing out with a number called “Follow the Flies.” It was a banger that brought the hammer down on the crowd. It ended phenomenally and set the fans into a fit of applause. Wallcreeper was great. They shook the room and primed the fans for what was about to unfold. It was time for the coming of The Witch.

It was nearly time for the madness to unfold. After nearly five hours at the club, I was finally getting my reward… Atomic Witch was taking to the stage. This band I have covered extensively over the past few years. I have reviewed their albums, covered their performances and interviewed them twice. They are a force unlike any other, with a twisted Metal vision. Their sound is unique and their delivery is undeniably potent. The Witch is made up of five deranged souls: Vocals, Guitar/Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums. As stated above, the reason for the show was the celebration of the release of “Death Etiquette,” the bands newest full length. Much to my delight, they would be performing the album in it’s entirety, several of the songs for the very first time. So they set up and we waited. The amps were wheeled into place; the Guitars were plugged in… Then came the moment we all were waiting for; the time of the transformation. The instant when Greg slides into his ski mask and becomes the voice of “The Witch!” I was amazed to see the mask had been changed. In honor of “Death Etiquette’s” color pallet, the normally lime green ski mask had been replaced with a blue one. It was slid into place, much to the crowd’s delight, and with a spooky little shimmy, he seized the mic. “We are The Witch! The Atomic Witch!” he snarled over a mass of swelling feedback. Then with a blast of distorted Guitars, they broke into “Morgue Rat” and began the album play through. Greg’s vile Vocal was met by his falsetto counterpart, Jessie. He wailed his piercing notes from behind his Guitar with fire. Next came “Flesh and Chrome,” which brought out the insanity in the frontman. He went wild rocking out with his mic stand and ranting his wicked lyrics. Across the stage Jonah lurked, banging his head, his hair obscuring his face with utter menace. On “Worms and Dirt” the Bass Drum thundered as the rhythm was delivered with intricacy. “Dream Rot” was madness music. It’s riff was as delirious as any I have ever heard. Rolling Thunder, now Rocking through his second set, was a force to be reckoned with. His powerful low end vibrated the room and shuddered our very souls. Next came the unforgivably heavy “Sabbath Breaker,” followed by “Death Edging (Come to the Light.)” Here Greg began demanding tequila from the crowd. Some one obliged him, running to the bar to procure the shot. He also demanded a circle pit, which immediately spawned at mid floor. “Skelecidal” was next and it was epic. I banged my head with glee as the ran through it and into “Vicious Mistress” with it’s nauseating riff. This brought the “Death Etiquette” album to it’s conclusion, but Atomic Witch was not quite finished yet. At this point the blue mask came off and was replace with the classic lime green. Digging into the back catalog they dredged up to classic favorites: “70,000 Skulls” and the terrifying “She Drifts.” Greg strangled himself with his mic chord as he raged his way through the climax of the set. A pit exploded to life for the final song as dedicated fans threw down in honor of this mighty Metal menace. And then it was over. The crowd dispersed, the merch tables were mobbed and the bands were assailed. For the fans at the club the night was over, but not for us. We had more business to conduct. We were unceremoniously driven out of the room by an anxious staff preparing for a second event… “Emo Night.” So we went into the lobby and waited for the boys.

Eventually the fans left, and the Heavy on Cleveland team were able to complete our obligations to The Witch. We sat down and talked to Greg and Rolling Thunder, filmed some additional footage and then said goodnight. We headed out into the cold where we parted ways and drove home. That was my Friday night in a nutshell. Heavy on Cleveland continues on it’s mission and despite a steep learning curve and many setbacks, we persevere. Assault has once again shown just what a truly powerful force for Thrash they are. A La Carte did their thing and they did it well. Their style is savage and their presentation is wild. They are definitely a band worth seeing. Wallcreeper was brutality. They slammed and destroyed all they surveyed without question or mercy. Wallcreeper? Fuck yeah, Wallcreeper! And finally, my boys in Atomic Witch stole the show, as they so often do. They horrified, terrified and petrified the crowd with their own Spooky Theatrical Death Thrash onslaught. They killed it, without question. End of story. So there you have it. That’s my synopsis of the Atomic Witch album release show. It was a night to remember, that for sure. Thank you for reading this little account. Thank you for supporting underground music and musicians... and guys like me. Bang you head, hoist your horns and always wear your earplugs.

Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,

-Z.M. Delgado

Rustbelt Rock Review

Rustbeltrockreview.com

11/30/2025

Links:

Atomic Witch

https://www.facebook.com/ATOMICWITCH/

Wallcreeper

https://www.facebook.com/wallcreeper1/

Ala carte

https://www.facebook.com/CulinaryMetal/