Liste des groupes Thrash Metal Witchery (SWE) Witchburner

Being a hardened fan of thrash metal, I was really looking forward to giving this EP a hear especially after hearing a lot of good reviews about it back in 1999. Here’s what I did upon listening to it for the first time. I gave it 3 spins again back to back. This stuff is incredible and has brought about a whole new side to thrash metal. With raspy vocals courtesy of Mr. Toxine, one can be rest assured of the nastiness the vocal lines carry. The musicianship on the other hand is tight and the guys sure know their stuff pretty well. The production too is impeccable and of numero uno quality keeping the old school charm intact as well.

This EP comprises of 4 cover tracks and 3 originals. The first one is a rendition of Accept’s world famous “Fast As A Shark” and Toxine delivers with absolute anger on this one. The intro scream is spine chilling, sounding like a tortured soul in a dungeon. The second track happens to be the biggest surprise in here. W.A.S.P’s “I Wanna Be Somebody” has not been covered by too many bands in the past, but Witchery has paid a worthy tribute to this eighties banger, ironically one of my all time favorite heavy metal tracks too. The next two are covers of the legends, Judas Priest and Black Sabbath, both done fairly well.

Now come the originals and all three of them are a must hear for any thrash metal lover. “The Howling” has that eerie wolf howl in the middle giving the track an originality of its own, while “The Executioner” too has a great thrash riff that smells entirely of eighties worship. The final title track is the real throat grabber here. The riffs are furiously hard accentuated by the insane vocals and pounding drumming, which makes it almost impossible for anyone not to headbang to this one. Try not to listen to this track at full volume, you’re bound to go deaf. Its that freaking loud.

Not all black thrash albums turn out to be that good. Either they’re too lousy or not too original. This one falls in neither category and hence deserves to draw more attention from metal fanatics all across the planet. Recommended for fans of old school thrash metal and also those who like something similar to “At The Heart Of Winter” era Immortal. Satisfaction guaranteed.