Salem Mass was an American heavy prog rock band from Idaho, which formed in 1971, and played together until about 1977. During the band’s run, they only released a single album, Witch Burning (1971), which the original pressing of has become a collector’s item among enthusiasts of the genre. After listening to Cold Sun yesterday, which is an album I think I added to my queue at the same time I added this one to my queue, I’m quite excited to give this album a listen. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Witch Burning” starts out with a low, ominous rumbling from some sort of bass synthesizer perhaps, which is soon joined by some ominous chaos from some electric guitar, swirling organs, and some drums that seem to continue to build tension during the intro. Oh wow, the tune has become some spooky and ominous groove that you might hear at some dark, far out halloween party of sorts, and I’m really digging it. The moog synthesizer provides some really interesting melodic work that seems to be a driving force behind the ominous sound. Oh wow, this jamming movement without the moog synth where the electric guitar seems to really go in on the track seems to relieve some tension at the start, but the bass and organs in the background gradually build up more tension until the moog synthesizer comes back in; pretty sweet. Oh wow, this section from the moog synth ventures the tune into further out spooky territory. Holy smokes, this jam has become a bit more melodic as the track continues, with the different instruments picking up a bit of a tighter, seemingly more interconnected feel. Oh wow, some of the licks from the electric guitar are super flavorful, in a style that feels reminiscent of a psychedelic hard blues rock style, gradually picking up in intensity until breaking through to something a bit more melodious in sound. Holy smokes, this bass line in the outro has a super groovy sound, and seems to cue in an intense finish from the rest of the band. Great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Oh wow, “My Sweet Jane” starts out with some sort of spooky organs that sound like they might be from an old Vampire movie, or are perhaps from a demo tape of Ray Manzarek of The Doors. Oh wow, the vocals seem to get quite melodic for a moment with the chorus style, and then the moog synthesizer comes in and brings a certain spookiness to the track that I’m really digging. Oh wow, this track is really hooking me in. Holy smokes, the keys are absolutely awesome, and sound like they’re from some haunted saloon or something with a tinny, electric parlor sort of sound, while the guitar strums in some lightly distorted chords that seem to connect the different movements of the keyboard together even more tightly, while the drums and bass keep the tune grooving forward from the background. Wow, great tune.
“Why” starts out with a really groovy rock and roll feel that seems as though to be the sound you might hear if you finally found your way back to a civilization after venturing into a haunted forest in the middle of the night with no moon in sight. The tune becomes more of a psych influenced rock and roll tune than the previous two sounded, almost in the style reminiscent of the last album from The Electric Prunes. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “You Can’t Run My Life” starts grooving right away with a style that almost has a bit of a funk undertone to the psychedelic rock style of the tune. Oh wow, the moog synth comes back for a moment and brings the tune far out, and the tune is brought back with some flavorful bluesy hard rock licks, and afterwards the rest of the instruments keep a tight groove with a super sweet rock and roll sound. I’m vaguely reminded of Quicksilver Messenger Service if QMS had a special set for halloween night, which was peppered with a bit of The Doors and a bit of Fifty Foot Hose. Groovy tune.
Holy smokes, “You’re Just a Dream” starts out with some super slick grooves from the cleanish guitar and the grooves of the bass line, which seems to walk up and down the neck at different times. The organs have a super laid back style, which has a sound that seems to have a bit of a soft psych whimsical undertone. I really dig the vocals in this track, which are super laid back as well, and remind me a little bit of a soft psych rock style like you might hear in Chamaeleon Church. Great track.
Oh wow, “Bare Tree” seems to bring things back to a bit of a spooky sound with an ominous grand organ sound as though Dracula himself is playing in an attempt to coax you into following him. The organs pick up a bit of washiness for a moment, as though they’re traveling through space. Oh wow, when the rest of the band comes in the overall sound remains vaguely ominous, but reminds me a bit of the epic psychedelic blues sound you might hear in Ford Theater’s song, “Wake Up In the Morning”. Holy smokes, the band seems to quiet down for a moment when the moog synthesizer enters back in, which begins to bring some super tasty spacey jams to the track, and take the tune even further out there. Holy smokes, this jam keeps on giving more and more, with instruments washing together in a sort of vague, spacey, far out, nearly proto-surf rock style, and I’m digging it. Oh wow, the vocals come back just in time to wrap up this epic-sounding tune with a line that becomes a bit distorted as the limits of the mic are exceeded, which only makes the tune even more flavorful. Great tune.
Oh wow, “The Drifter” has a very familiar psychedelic rock sound to it, with the combination of the organs, guitar, and drums taking on a bit of a rough Doors-like sound combined with The Blues Magoos. Oh wow, this synth jam piece is super flavorful, and nearly again brings in that outer-space sound to this tune. The electric guitar gets in a few flavorful licks as the tune comes to a close. Wow, super sweet track and a really flavorful way to wrap up the album.
Wow, this album is pretty sweet, and has a pretty unique sound with the incorporation of the moog synthesizer into many of the tunes, especially when the spooky undertones become overtones. Sometimes, however, there were no spooky undertones to begin with, and the song was dark and ominous from the beginning, which cultivated a super interesting sound throughout. I’m vaguely reminded of C.A. Quintet in that sense, but the approach of both groups was very different. If you’re into some dark, ominous hard psychedelic rock and some good old fashioned psychedelic rock and roll with some spooky sounds at times, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A