Dark Divine Share Brutal New Single “Burn the Witch”
After Dark Divine’s first album release in September of 2023, they’ve absolutely made an impact. Either through their ghoulish stage makeup, haunting lyrics, or overall ability to embrace the uncomfortable, Dark Divine has created a perpetual Halloween wherever they go. Their debut album, Deadly Fun, features not the seven deadly sins but ten tracks that delve into several types of fear we all face in our lives - literal or figurative. But they add their own fun twist to it - almost as if presenting the fears through funhouse mirrors. While I’m perpetually excited about how bands grow, I’ve been interested to see what comes next for this band.
Their new release, "Burn the Witch," is such a strong first single since their album release. This song immediately feels as if it has such a strong perspective and attitude compared to their album - if anything it speaks to their songwriting and how they’ve grown in that time. Instead of telling a story, "Burn the Witch," feels like a proclamation. Despite the stronger tone, it still aligns with their theme of embracing and expressing fears we all face. Vocalist Anthony Martinez, says that "Burn the Witch," speaks, in essence, on the fear of becoming the very thing you fear in order to overcome it; alongside the thought that you may keep those traits even after you’ve closed that chapter of your life. And they manage to express all that while head banging.
Setting the tone, soft vocals deceivingly guide us into the song only to be quickly corrected by harsh vocals letting us know what’s actually going on with a gross and quippy "'Cause Imma fucking burn a bitch." Which, honestly, might be one of my favorite song openers to date. Throughout the song they keep their own cadence of catchy rhythms and great lyrics by blending in well-known supernatural and superstitious lore regarding sirens and witches. They also do one of my absolute favorite things on this track - they’ve layered external audio in the song. In this case, a single line that says “you seek to protect a witch?” This isn’t the first time they’ve done this; it’s such a clever way to add more depth to the song by including more relevant material to it, adding more context to the song as a whole. I’ve seen others try this, but Dark Divine’s sound is perfect for this as the audios have always matched the tone of the song, sometimes making me question which came first- did the audio inspire the song, or was the audio an add-in after the fact.
One aspect that stands out in this song, compared to their previous songs, is Martinez’s guttural vocals - which whether present or not in previous songs, they’ve never had such an emphasis before. It echos what he said about becoming the thing you fear to overcome it. The use of the guttural vocals versus his clean vocals almost gives the song a sense of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It makes one wonder who will win and what the future tone of their songs will be. Combined with the guitar riffs, that must have been designed to create the sense of unease, this song is a funhouse, a warning, a proclamation, haunted house, and a great song all rolled into one.
Dark Divine has been on tour along side Black Veil Brides, Ghostkid, and The Creeper with dates still available. Having seen them along side The Word Alive and Nerv in the fall, I can tell you they put on one hell of a show (pun slightly intended) and absolutely bring the energy to the stage. They’re also incredibly nice guys and are a pleasure to hang out with if you can catch them hanging out near their merch after their set. Grab tickets if you can - dates below!
Bleeders U.S. Tour Dates
Fri, May 10 | Raleigh, NC | The Ritz
Sun, May 12 | Daytona Beach, FL | Welcome to Rockville
Mon, May 13 | Atlanta, GA | Buckhead Theater
Wed, May 15 | New York, NY | Palladium Times Square
Thu, May 16 | Philadelphia, PA | Fillmore
Fri, May 17 | Columbus, OH | Sonic Temple
Sat, May 18 | Nashville, TN | Marathon Music Works
Mon, May 20 | San Antonio, TX | The Aztec Theatre
Tue, May 21 | Houston, TX | RISE
Wed, May 22 | Dallas, TX | The Factory
Fri, May 24 | Tempe, AZ | The Marquee
Sat, May 25 | Los Angeles, CA | The Belasco
