Burning Witch
United States · formed 1995 · last active 2008
Burning Witch was an American doom/sludge metal band formed on Capitol Hill in Seattle in early 1995 from the ashes of the doom/death band Thorr's Hammer, active until 1998. Known for extremely slow tempos, dense feedback and Edgy 59's alternately mournful and tortured vocals, the group is best remembered as a formative pre-Sunn O))) project for guitarist Stephen O'Malley. Their EP recordings were gathered on the compilation Crippled Lucifer, released in 1998 on Southern Lord Records, the label O'Malley co-founded with fellow Seattle musician Greg Anderson.
SCORE PROFILE
Accent numbers counted towards the index. Hover an axis — or hold it on a phone — for what it means.
MEMBERS
- Stephen O'Malleyguitar· also in House of Low Culture, Khanate, KTL, Lotus Eaters, Nazoranai, Sunn O))), Thorr's Hammer
- Edgy 59vocals
- G. Stuart Dahlquistbass· also in Goatsnake
- Jamie Sykesdrums· also in Thorr's Hammer
- Brad Mowen (B.R.A.D.)drums
CONNECTIONS
- Goatsnakesatellitepath →
Greg Anderson played in Burning Witch, and Burning Witch's G. Stuart Dahlquist joined Goatsnake on bass in 2000, replacing Guy Pinhas. source ↗
- House of Low Culturepath →
Stephen O'Malley in both — guitar in Burning Witch, guitars in House of Low Culture. source ↗
- Khanatepath →
Khanate guitarist Stephen O'Malley was previously in Burning Witch. source ↗
- KTLpath →
Stephen O'Malley in both — guitar in Burning Witch, guitar in KTL. source ↗
- Lotus Eaterspath →
Stephen O'Malley in both — guitar in Burning Witch, guitar, electronics in Lotus Eaters. source ↗
- Nazoranaipath →
Stephen O'Malley in both — guitar in Burning Witch, bass guitar in Nazoranai. source ↗
- Sunn O)))path →
O'Malley (with Anderson, who left before recording) founded the extreme doom band Burning Witch, 1995-1998, directly preceding Sunn O))). source ↗
- Thorr's Hammerpath →
After Thorr's Hammer broke up in 1995, Stephen O'Malley, Greg Anderson and drummer Jamie Sykes formed Burning Witch. source ↗
- 6:33path →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: 6:33's "Orphan Of Good Manners" (2011) and Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- Acid Mothers Templepath →
Both bands' cover art was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt (Discogs id 652485): Acid Mothers Temple's "Crystal Rainbow Pyramid Under The Stars" (2007) and this band's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7); AMT joins the Seldon Hunt cluster as its 19th atlas client. source ↗
- Blind Idiot Godpath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: Blind Idiot God's "Before Ever After" (2015) and Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- Earthpath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008) and Earth's "Live Europe 2006" (2007). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- Ephel Duathpath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008) and Ephel Duath's "Through My Dog's Eyes." (2009). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defectspath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008) and Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects's "Sol Niger Within" (2016). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- Goatsnakesatellitepath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008) and Goatsnake's "1" (2022). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- House of Low Culturepath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008) and House of Low Culture's "Live From The House Of Low Temperature!" (2003). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- Jesupath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008) and Jesu's "Sun Down / Sun Rise" (2007). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- KK Nullpath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008) and KK Null's "Extropy" (2009). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- Lotus Eaterspath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008) and Lotus Eaters's "Lotus Eaters" (2002). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- Made Out of Babiespath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008) and Made Out of Babies's "The Ruiner" (2008). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- Nadjapath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008) and Nadja's "Thaumogenesis" (2007). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- Neurosispath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008) and Neurosis's "A Sun That Never Sets" (2001). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- Orthodoxpath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008) and Orthodox's "Amanecer En Puerta Oscura" (2007). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- Pelicanpath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008) and Pelican's "Live In Chicago 6/11/03" (2005). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- Sunn O)))path →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008) and Sunn O)))'s "Black One" (2005). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- The Oceanpath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by freelance artist Seldon Hunt: Burning Witch's "Crippled Lucifer" (2008) and The Ocean's "Pelagial" (2013). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7, the exception to hub-and-spoke) — Hunt is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- Eyehategodsatellitepath →
Shared label roster: Slap a Ham Records, per MusicBrainz. source ↗
- Isispath →
Shared label roster: Hydra Head Records, per MusicBrainz. source ↗
- Melt-Bananapath →
Shared label roster: Slap a Ham Records, per MusicBrainz. source ↗
- Melvinspath →
Shared label roster: Slap a Ham Records, per MusicBrainz. source ↗
FURTHER LISTENING
Nearest score profiles in the atlas.
- Southern Lord / droneEI 16KhanateDoomDroneTheatrical
Khanate was an American drone/extreme doom supergroup formed in New York in 2000 by guitarist Stephen O'Malley and bassist James Plotkin, with vocalist Alan Dubin and drummer Tim Wyskida. Their glacial music paired extremely slow tempos and harsh layers of feedback with Dubin's torturous shrieking, debuting with a self-titled album on Southern Lord Records in 2001. The band split in 2006 before a surprise return with the album To Be Cruel, released via Sacred Bones Records in 2023.
- Southern Lord / droneEI 19Boris (drone/doom era)DoomDroneTheatrical
Boris's early drone/doom era built monolithic, amplifier-worshipping slabs of sludge, doom and drone metal, frequently structured as single extended long-form pieces rather than conventional songs. The 1996 debut Absolutego is a 65-minute track of oozing, slow-motion, Melvins-inspired drone rock/metal, while Flood (2000) unfolds as one roughly 70-minute title track broken into four movements. Across Amplifier Worship (1998) and Boris at Last -Feedbacker- (2003) the trio pushed feedback, distortion and glacial tempos to the foreground, a sound whose kinship with Sunn O))) later yielded their joint album Altar.
- Southern Lord / droneEI 23ThronesDoomDroneTheatrical
Thrones is the long-running solo project of American bassist Joe Preston, begun in 1994 and given to bass-heavy doom, avant-garde noise rock and experimental drone. Preston is a scene hub in his own right — a former member of Earth and the Melvins and a guest on Sunn O)))'s recordings — and Thrones channels that low-end lineage into one-man records like the Southern Lord compilation Day Late, Dollar Short (2005). The music pairs crushing riffs and heavily processed vocals with an eclectic, unpredictable sensibility.
- Post-metalEI 17UfomammutDoomDroneTheatrical
Ufomammut are an Italian power trio formed in 1999 in Tortona, dealing in a signature strain of psychedelic sludge that spans doom, stoner, sludge and drone metal. Their music favors lengthy songs built on repeated heavy riffs, droning vocals and a heavy use of synths and sound effects, staged live with synchronized psychedelic visuals by founders Poia and Urlo's Malleus art collective. Their most recent studio albums — including Fenice (2022) and Hidden (2024) — appear on Neurosis's Neurot Recordings.
- UnaffiliatedEI 10Beneath the SodDoomDrone
Beneath the Sod is the solo funeral/industrial doom project of Irish musician Ray Keenaghan (Wreck of the Hesperus), formed 2017. Releases include Circling the Drain (2017, Fort Evil Fruit), the split cassette Transmorphic Eye (2018, with Crypticum), and a self-titled 2021 EP on Cursed Monk Records described as harsh, synth-laced industrial doom metal with guest vocals from Richard Carson.
- UnaffiliatedEI 5Church of MiserysatelliteDoomTheatrical
Church of Misery are a Japanese doom band formed in Tokyo in 1995 around constant member and bassist Tatsu Mikami. They wed Black Sabbath-style doom to psychedelic rock, with nearly every song themed around real serial killers and mass murderers, complete with spoken-word samples. Prolific tourers and split-release partners, they issued Houses of the Unholy (2009) on Rise Above/Metal Blade and toured Europe alongside Sourvein in 2006.
- Southern Lord / droneEI 25KhlystDoomDroneTheatrical
Khlyst is an American experimental drone/doom project formed in New York in 2006, built around guitarist James Plotkin (Khanate, OLD, Phantomsmasher), Norwegian vocalist Runhild Gammelsæter (Thorr's Hammer), and drummer Tim Wyskida (Khanate, Blind Idiot God). Their sole album, the dually-titled "Chaos Is My Name" / "Kaos er mitt navn," was released by Hydra Head Records in October 2006. Across eight Roman-numeral-titled pieces it alternates Gammelsæter's shrieked, free-form vocals with eerie ambient guitar and percussion soundscapes.
- UnaffiliatedEI 16Opium WarlordsDoomDroneTheatrical
Opium Warlords is the solo-turned-trio outlet of Sami Albert Hynninen (Albert Witchfinder of Reverend Bizarre), stretching doom metal into extended drone-riff meditations with minimal percussion. Since 2010 he has been joined by drummer Erkki Virta and keyboardist Laura Länsimäki, though the project remains built around Hynninen's distorted bass and bleak conceptual framing. Six albums deep on Svart Records, the band trades hooks for duration, dissolving riffs into noise and silence.
- UnaffiliatedEI 17Umbra NihilDoomDrone
Umbra Nihil is a Finnish doom metal project built around multi-instrumentalist Vilpir (Ville Vierimaa), pairing slow, expansive doom weight with 70s progressive rock and Zeuhl-inflected passages, flute textures, and Lovecraft/weird-fiction-derived ritual concepts — The Borderland Rituals draws on William Hope Hodgson's The House on the Borderland. The band shares lead guitarist Master Warjomaa with atlas act Aarni, tying it directly into the same oddball Finnish doom orbit. Largely dormant since 2008 due to lack of motivation from its songwriters.
- Southern Lord / droneEI 4GoatsnakesatelliteDoom
Goatsnake is an American stoner/doom metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1996 after the dissolution of The Obsessed, whose rhythm section of bassist Guy Pinhas and drummer Greg Rogers teamed with guitarist Greg Anderson (also of Sunn O))), Burning Witch, and Thorr's Hammer) and vocalist Pete Stahl. Known for a soulful, bluesy take on low-and-slow doom, they released their debut album '1' in 1999. After breaking up in 2001 they later reunited, issuing the album Black Age Blues on Southern Lord Recordings in 2015.