RoosterVision: SALEM (various music labels)

…an ongoing series of articles spotlighting movies, music, art, comics, and other assorted media that we at Rooster Republic Press find ourselves enjoying. Once a week, on Thursdays, we will showcase new and old works and, hopefully, help spread the word on great stuff you might otherwise miss out on.

RoosterVision was previously the name of our non-fiction imprint, and since those titles and that line of books are no longer, we have decided to resurrect RoosterVision for the purpose of this showcase. Enjoy!

SALEM was probably my first introduction to the music genre called “Witch House” and their debut album, “King Night” got a ton of press and high praise when it came out in 2010. Personally, “King Night” has been in heavy rotation ever since. One, it’s a great, moody album from start to finish. Two, until 2020, it was the band’s only full-length album, and EPs were rare, so “King Night” became a well to return to, over and over.

“Fires in Heaven” was released in October of 2020 and you’d have been hard-fucking-pressed to find a better Halloween treat last year. Every bit as good, if not better, than “King Night” and well-worth the wait. You can stream the entire album on YouTube via SALEM’s page HERE.

And, since we’re dishing out hot links, you can listen to “King Night” HERE.

Proper doom-music. And nobody else sounds quite like SALEM, even among the other “Witch House” groups. Allow us to make a comparison: SALEM is to “Witch House” as PORTISHEAD is to “Trip Hop” (and, uh, hopefully you know PORTISHEAD or that comp might not make much sense).

If you’re looking for something new to listen to, give ’em a spin!