Witchery - Witchkrieg

October 13, 2010

Early in the year when black-thrash super-group Witchery announced that their new album was going to be the debut performance by their new vocalist my heart sank.  This couldn’t be good.  That new vocalist turned out, somewhat surprisingly, to be esteemed Swedish black metal star growler Legion, and the fans seemed to be far less disappointed than I was.  I’ve been a huge Witchery fan since the fantastic debut album Restless and Dead  and I’ve always considered original vocalist Toxine’s raspy, maniacal sounding vocal delivery to be one of the band’s strong points, lending their thrash a bit of a unique, unhinged and unholy edge.  Witchkrieg, the band’s fifth full-length affair finds them rising above the departure of their front man, and in fact breathing a bit of new life into their formula albeit not without the flash provided by the employment of several bold-faced names. 

Scathing, sharp thrash riffs have always been a staple of the classic Witchery sound, and thankfully this has not changed.  The main riff of the incredibly effective opening title track simply smokes.  This is by far the finest song on the album, and indeed some of the tastiest thrash this year.  It is an absolutely blazing tune featuring the first of several guest solos, this time by Slayer’s Kerry King.  “The Reaver” is another of the excellent up-tempo thrashers here, this time benefiting from very obviously Exodus-sounding riffs courtesy of (of course) Gary Holt and Lee Altus.  As usual on a Witchery album, in addition to the speedier tracks, there are a couple of mid-paced stomping tunes.  The grooving, amazingly heavy “The God Who Fell From Earth” is the prize track in this fashion this time around and it features one of the more exciting guests in Hank Sherman.  Really, “From Dead to Worse” with its silly chorus and recycled-sounding riffs seems to be about the only clunker here despite the donated solo from King Diamond’s guitar master Andy LaRocque.  The production on the album is really impressive, and while I’m sure many would decry its pristine quality as perhaps inorganic sounding, one must admit that it really lends a certain sharpness and expansiveness to the material that actually serves to emphasize the heaviness of many of the tracks. 

Legion honestly does a fine job as vocalist for this band, even if his voice nearly makes the material indistinguishable as Witchery.  He employs a gruffer, more death metal leaning vocal style here rather than his more Christ-raping panzer division Marduk manner.  I guess I’m just going to have to accept that Toxine is gone and move on.  Witchkrieg is certainly a good album but the cynic in me is left somewhat puzzled as to why the Witchery name was kept when it’s a different vocalist and no less than six outside guitarists were used.

Release Date: June 21st, 2010
Label: Century Media Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Witchkrieg
2.  Wearer of Wolf’s Skin
3.  The God Who Fell From Earth
4.  Conqueror’s Return
5.  The Reaver
6.  From Dead to Worse
7.  Devil Rides Out
8.  One Foot in the Grave
9.  Hellhound
10.  Witch Hunter

Total playing time:  34:25

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Reviewer: J. A. Burt