Remember these guys? Course you do. Witchery hit the metal scene to a chorus of pretty much unanimous approval back in 1998 with their debut full length 'Restless and Dead' (strangely, a few months after The Haunted's debut album left many with pants packed with poo I seem to recall - guitarist of both bands, Patrik Jensen, really must've been on an intravenous 'metal' feed that year!).
Over the years, I feel these guys have stayed pretty consistent up until their slightly below par 2006 album 'Don't Fear the Reaper,' leading to a 4 year gap of near-silence since. Come 2010, album number five has finally landed, though not without it's lone line-up casualty (original vocalist Toxine's deep breaths of corpse-dust are no longer to be found, now making way for former Marduk vocalist Legion). The change in vocals do make this sound like a different band at times, though I guess that's just because Toxine was such an integral part of the band’s overall sound. In all honesty, Legion isn't THAT much of a difference (though, at times he does give the band a slightly more deathly edge at times with his generally lower growling tone).
Riff wise of course, it's very much old school Witchery. There's a lot of beefed up thrashing to be found, some truly Slayer-esque moments (especially notable on the opening title track which – surprise, surprise - features Kerry King on guest leads) and some pounding death metal splashed throughout the mix. Hell, they've even gone as far as calling one track 'The Reaver', recalling the classic opening track of their debut 'The Reaper'. I must admit I did do a double-take on the tracklisting before listening, thinking at first they'd just gone and re-recorded it! Interestingly, there are a number of other guest appearances on this album in addition to the aforementioned Kerry King; there are also solos laid down by Mercyful Fate's Hank Sherman, King Diamond's Andy LaRocque, Exodus' Gary Holt & Lee Altus and Dark Angel's Jim Durkin. Luckily, with all those 'proper' metal folk on the guest list, it was saved from ever becoming a Soulfly-like guest shit-fest!
Slow, dissonant pounders such as 'The Devil Rides Out' sit well with teeth rattling skin flayers like 'Wearers of Wolf Skin', reminding you just why this band got so much attention in the late 90's (when they once threatened an album a year in true old school fashion). Well, that didn't happen, and with Witchkrieg, they only miss recapturing the vibe and quality of their very best material by a hair's breadth. But, this is certainly a step up in quality from their previous release and a more than worthy addition to the bands legacy. Thus, it's time to brush off that grave soil from your clothing once more, flick the W salute with both hands, and prepare your neck for the inevitable abuse it's about to sustain upon pressing play on Witchkrieg.
http://www.myspace.com/witcherytheband
