Bewitcher: Under the Witching Cross

Bewitcher’s second album is a playful and energetic romp through 80s-style speed metal. This is the kind of satanic speed metal you’d expect from bands like Venom, Exciter, and early work by Razor and Sodom. It’s also the kind of stuff you’ll hear if you check out current bands like Bat, Midnight, Pounder, Chainbreaker, and Italy’s Barbarian. That’s great company and Bewitcher certainly belongs on that list. I especially like Bat and I can easily agree that fans of the one will like the other. I’m sure not everyone will agree, but there’s even even a slight touch of early Motley Crue on “Hexenkrieg� and “Too Fast for the Flames.� I won’t insist on the connection but Motley Crue was once part of the generation Bewitcher is praising here. As much as I wish bands like Bewitcher would succeed, their music belongs to the underground so fans of this style can hear it up close and soak in all the power of old school speed metal.

The album begins with several seconds of ambient sound and then blasts into an onslaught of 80s-style speed metal that never lets up until the closing track. It’s their short time together, Bewitcher has already garnered a solid reputation for their take on speed metal. This album only makes that reputation stronger. Even better, the band delivers the goods from track to track without any evident chest thumping. This is evil speed metal played for the sheer joy of the speed, the energy, and the mayhem. If you’re wondering where to begin, I suggest “Rome is on Fire,� a killer track with a surprising tribute to several of Rome’s worst emperors. If you like that track, be sure to listen to “Hexenkrieg,� “Under the Witching Cross,� and “Heathen Woman.� I also recommend the closing track “Frost Moon Ritual� because it plays around with songwriting techniques without sacrificing any of the raw power of the rest of the album. It’s a nice closer for an album that is as wild as it is energetic. If you’re looking for old school speed metal, this is what you’ve been looking for.

Track Listing:
1. Savage Lands of Satan
2. Hexenkrieg
3. Under the Witching Cross
4. Heathen Woman
5. Too Fast for the Flames
6. In the Sign of the Goat
7. Rome is on Fire
8. Frost Moon Ritual

Added: April 30th 2019
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Bandcamp Page
Hits: 856
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend ]