Witch's self-titled 2006 debut had a lot going for it, most obviously J. Mascis behind the drum kit. Besides his stint in Deep Wound, Mascis held things down on the first LP from Upside Down Cross, a sublime confrontational sludge album that can cave heads to this day. The first Witch album was a major success, not least because of Mascis' intense, in-the-pocket approach to a genre generally served by laid-back, bong-hit drumming, and I couldn't have been the only one to be pleased with the band's decision to soldier on and make another album.

Whereas their debut was comfortable marrying the Sabbath-side of UDC with the ghostly detachment of Kyle Thomas and Asa Irons' Feathers project, Paralyzed goes right in for the kill. Only one of the tracks breaks the five-minute mark, and then just barely. The fuzz bass and metal solos are still present and abundant, but are granted next to no breathing room. Thin out the sound of "Mutated" a bit, and you might be left with a Peter and the Test Tube Babies track.