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August 29, 2008 |
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01. Disturbing The Beast
02. Stigmatized
03. Draw Blood
04. The Ritual
05. Ashes
06. Plague Rider
07. Damned In Hell
08. Crossfixation
09. The Wait Of The Pyramids
10. Immortal Death
11. Styx
12. War Piece
13. Cannon Fodder
14. Legion Of Hades (Bonus Track)
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When is a side-project not a side-project? When you're WITCHERY. Consisting of elite musicians from across the metal spectrum, including Patrick Jensen of THE HAUNTED, Sharlee D'Angelo of ARCH ENEMY and MERCYFUL FATE, and Martin Axenrot, recent touring member of OPETH and full - time drummer of BLOODBATH, WITCHERY may be a second band for most members, but it is first rate, uncompromised perfection all the way. Not to mention the fact that WITCHERY have been around since 1997, rising from the desiccated remains of SATANIC SLAUGHTER and releasing three full-length discs and an EP in the past nine years; a considerable feat considering the demise of their former label Necropolis Records and the fact that the members have exceptionally successful bands of their own.
"Don't Fear The Reaper" was actually recorded in 2004, but reality happens and it took nearly two years for these no-nonsense Deathrashers to find a suitable home for WITCHERY; now, nestled safely in the bosom of Century Media with the proper support they deserve, the album has been mastered and WITCHERY are fully prepared to cast a particularly oppressive black shade of evil across the globe.
If forced to make a cliché comparison along the lines of "WITCHERY sounds like so-and-so", the compass would undoubtedly point to OLD MAN'S CHILD. There's a common element of Black Metal integration with the awareness of how quickly that sound can get stale; so the Black Metal elements, with the exception of a great ethereal keyboard passage on "Ashes", are confined to highly effective, venom-drenched vocal seethings from frontman Toxine, who also has the admirable capability to belt out some undeniably brutal Death Metal-with-groove vocal bombasts; also like the aforementioned, the main emphasis of the music is on the bite and tear of vicious, incising guitar riffs. We're dealing with Jensen here, folks, an extremely talented guitarist and riffmeister with a particularly distinct guitar sound. There's plenty in the sound to be identified with THE HAUNTED's style of Aggro-Thrash, but the guitars adopt a new dimension of depth and sound when incanted through the otherworldly chants of WITCHERY.
Bassist Sharlee D'Angelo has been around long enough and played with enough big-leaguers for you to know damn well how tight the bass is on this album; nothing more needs to be said: hearing is believing. The drums are nothing less than pummeling and precise, executed with the ease and clarity that only a true master of the instrument can conjure; it's the same above-standard hack, slash, chop and cut precision we've come to expect from the "Axe". And let's not forget guitarist Richard Corpse, playing a vital role in bringing a second guitar into the mix for maximum impact with the riffage, solos, and surprising melodic passages. Long story short - these guys are professionals to the bone, and the combination results in what will be hands down one of the most solid Metal albums for all of 2006, and maybe longer.
Not ONE single song present on "Don't Fear The Reaper" is below excellent. So for the sake of space and your new millennium attention spans, allow me to mention just a few: "Stigmatized" and "Draw Blood" are both incredibly apt indications from the very beginning of the album that this is more than your average Black/Deathrash album. The guitars are very Thrash oriented, constantly riffing their way across a spectrum of head-bashing assaults, underlying Toxine's distinctly strong vocals with their syllabically-conscious delivery that make the vocals an instrument in their own right. It's not about repetition and monotony with this guy - there's as much musical sensibility and awareness in his delivery as you're likely to find in any genre, and the result is groove after terminally infectious groove from all.
There's an unmistakable momentum that the band incants with the album's first few summonings, and it just does not let up, ever. Again, ever aware of the potential dangers of repetition and monotony, WITCHERY takes a conscious step down into the murky depths of darkened Doom with the unbelievably effective "Ashes", complete with the WITCHERY standard guitar crunch and grind and perhaps the best vocal delivery on the album; certainly it bears the most distinct and memorable chorus I've heard in ages: "Ashes to ashes and dust to death; fade away, burn away. Ashes to ashes and dust to death - passed away, your soul has strayed". I swear to you on all that is unholy that when you hear the crunching riff and brutally seething vocals that dominate this song you'll have one hell of a time getting this bad mother out of your head... but then again, why would you want to?
It just cascades from there: "Plague Rider", "Cross Fixation", "Styx", "War Piece", "Cannonfodder" - it just does not matter; when you're on, you're on, and believe you me - WITCHERY is ON. The album also includes a cover of SATANIC SLAUGHTER's "Immortal Death", and for those of us in North America, we actually get a bonus track (take that, Japan!): a second SATANIC SLAUGHTER cover in the form of "Legion Of Hades".
So what's the hold up? Surely you've heard enough; your interest is peaked - admit it. You now stand at the skull-framed entrance to the underworld: the river "Styx" flows free and black in the distance, your presence has disturbed the beast, the "Plague Rider" comes raging from the "Ashes", and the ferryman approaches, skeletal fingers outstretched in supplication, begging-nay, demanding-toll for one way transport into a world overwrought with darkness, destruction, torment, and "Immortal Death", the likes of which your disillusioned soul has never imagined and from which you can never hope to escape. Welcome to a world of perpetual midnight; step through the doorway and see for yourself what it is like to be "Damned In Hell". Welcome, wayward soul, to the world of WITCHERY.
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