Live: Witch Mountain Bring A Little Too Much Polish To Saint Vitus
Witch Mountain w/Lord Dying, Pilgrim, Bezoar 
Saint Vitus
Friday, June 8
Better than: Kittie? Maybe?
In theory, Witch Mountain—whose heavy, bluesy fuzz is fronted by the expressive, theatrical Uta Plotkin—should work. But on Friday night at Saint Vitus, Plotkin and her band could only convey a lack of depth, giving the impression that over the past 15 years Witch Mountain still hasn't gelled into something stronger than an act whose novelty is based on the gender of its lead singer.
The highest notes sung by Plotkin, who joined the Portland outfit when it regrouped after a seven-year hiatus in 2009, soar far above the band's uninteresting, plodding riffs. She is supremely talented, but there's a lack of grit that makes her seem almost too perfect to be convincing as siren of darkness; her angst-ridden lyrics become even less believable when delivered between smiles. Worse, she could barely be heard on all but her topmost notes, as the band played so loudly that they overpowered their star performer.
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