It's always important to remember that the Heavy Metal genre did not burst forth one day, fully formed, from the head of Tony Iommi. It was a movement out of the blues-rock genre, spearheaded primarily, but certainly not solely, by Black Sabbath. The result is that there is not a line in the sand where we can say that all before 1969 is "Rock" and all after "Heavy Metal"; many of the bands straddling the line at this time now carry the label "proto-metal" (obviously a retrospective categorization). Similarly, it's sometimes difficult to distinguish what truly qualifies as "Doom Metal" versus what is simply Sabbath worship (by 1980 they had been around for a decade and had sold several million albums; there were obviously going to be imitators).
Witchfinder General, a UK metal band that was active in the early eighties, is one of those bands that defies the neat categorizations we have tended to retroject onto them. They are now referred to as one of the first Doom Metal bands, and I certainly get that vibe off a few tracks, but more often than not the music strikes me as lo-fi hard rock/heavy metal with the occasional doom riff. Regardless, they've gained alot of notoriety in recent years for their contribution to the Doom genre, though their popularity in their heyday was less-than-stellar, likely due to their short era of activity and their inconsistent output. Witchfinder General was originally composed of Zeeb Parkes (vocals), Phil Cope (guitars), Woolfy Trope (bass, just Phil Cope under a pseudonym), and Graham Ditchfield (drums). They released one 7" single, followed by two albums before breaking up. They then reformed sometime in 2006 and released one more album in 2008.
1981 - Burning a Sinner (7" single)
The production on their debut single sounds about demo-quality, so if you were expecting anything mind-blowing in terms of production, lower your standards. As an introduction to the band, this single does a pretty good job of letting you know what to expect from later releases. The A-Side is an enjoyable little number that leans more towards the rock side of the spectrum than metal (with a catchy chorus, to boot), while the B-side sounds more like genuine Doom.
1982 - Death Penalty
Witchfinder General's first full-length LP is a quality, if mixed effort. While the acoustic intro to Invisible Hate leads to a pretty decent riff, the tone of the song on the whole is a little less "doomy" than the standard Saint Vitus and Pentagram would set in the future, and Zeeb's voice cracks one too many times for my liking. The lyrical content seems to confirm the general vibe I get from the music, which is ends up feeling like good-time rock with some heavy riffs and a lo-fi recording that gives it a darker sound than it really deserves. Free Trip proclaims "Let's trip on LSD" while Invisible Hate exits with repeated chants of "Give me beer" and "I say sex, drugs, rock and beer." Seems closer to something by Van Halen than the occult-centered lyrics of their Doom peers. Nonetheless, even with their juvenile lyrics and lo-fi rock sound, there's quality tracks to be found. The album's title track works a quality riff over some genuinely grim lyrics, while the band's self-titled track has all the hallmarks of a classic song; it's probably still the band's best. Burning Sinner, the A-side from their debut album, makes a return here in slightly better form. Regrettably, these gems are sandwiched between some less-competent tracks that make it hard to fully recommend this album as a "classic" purely on its merits the same way I would Saint Vitus or Psalm 9.
1983 - Friends of Hell
Their second album unfortunately retains that same inconsistent quality as their first, but on the whole they sound as though their moving towards that genuine "Doom" sound. On the whole it's better for it. Opening track "Love on Smack" has a tasty main riff and some pretty decent leads to complement. As usual, the title track remains the album highlight, with a structure that actually manages to sustain the quality set by the awesome intro (I'm looking at you, Crazy Train). Elsewhere, Quietus Reprise has a sound somewhere between Sabbath's Snowblind and Electric Funeral. Derivative or not, it works, as does the jammy outro. What doesn't, however, is Witchfinder General's clear attempt at a radio single, "Music" which would be catchy if the lyrics weren't so godawful. The 80's synth in the chorus isn't helping either. It's something of a common mistake that bands try to write a rock-anthem at some point in their careers: few realize that the real rock anthems usually aren't trying to be.
A good album on the whole, easily on par with its predecessor.
2006 - Live 1983
A recording of a live performance they did sometime in 1983. The sound fidelity is pretty low--I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is an audience recording--but it's good to hear the vintage lineup tackle their first two albums in a live setting. Some sound even better than their album counterparts.
Witchfinder General, a UK metal band that was active in the early eighties, is one of those bands that defies the neat categorizations we have tended to retroject onto them. They are now referred to as one of the first Doom Metal bands, and I certainly get that vibe off a few tracks, but more often than not the music strikes me as lo-fi hard rock/heavy metal with the occasional doom riff. Regardless, they've gained alot of notoriety in recent years for their contribution to the Doom genre, though their popularity in their heyday was less-than-stellar, likely due to their short era of activity and their inconsistent output. Witchfinder General was originally composed of Zeeb Parkes (vocals), Phil Cope (guitars), Woolfy Trope (bass, just Phil Cope under a pseudonym), and Graham Ditchfield (drums). They released one 7" single, followed by two albums before breaking up. They then reformed sometime in 2006 and released one more album in 2008.
1981 - Burning a Sinner (7" single)
The production on their debut single sounds about demo-quality, so if you were expecting anything mind-blowing in terms of production, lower your standards. As an introduction to the band, this single does a pretty good job of letting you know what to expect from later releases. The A-Side is an enjoyable little number that leans more towards the rock side of the spectrum than metal (with a catchy chorus, to boot), while the B-side sounds more like genuine Doom.
http://www.mediafire.com/?hf9g3i2s60t1vuh
1982 - Death Penalty
Witchfinder General's first full-length LP is a quality, if mixed effort. While the acoustic intro to Invisible Hate leads to a pretty decent riff, the tone of the song on the whole is a little less "doomy" than the standard Saint Vitus and Pentagram would set in the future, and Zeeb's voice cracks one too many times for my liking. The lyrical content seems to confirm the general vibe I get from the music, which is ends up feeling like good-time rock with some heavy riffs and a lo-fi recording that gives it a darker sound than it really deserves. Free Trip proclaims "Let's trip on LSD" while Invisible Hate exits with repeated chants of "Give me beer" and "I say sex, drugs, rock and beer." Seems closer to something by Van Halen than the occult-centered lyrics of their Doom peers. Nonetheless, even with their juvenile lyrics and lo-fi rock sound, there's quality tracks to be found. The album's title track works a quality riff over some genuinely grim lyrics, while the band's self-titled track has all the hallmarks of a classic song; it's probably still the band's best. Burning Sinner, the A-side from their debut album, makes a return here in slightly better form. Regrettably, these gems are sandwiched between some less-competent tracks that make it hard to fully recommend this album as a "classic" purely on its merits the same way I would Saint Vitus or Psalm 9.
http://www.mediafire.com/?y4lcwbkfcr0a017
1983 - Friends of Hell
Their second album unfortunately retains that same inconsistent quality as their first, but on the whole they sound as though their moving towards that genuine "Doom" sound. On the whole it's better for it. Opening track "Love on Smack" has a tasty main riff and some pretty decent leads to complement. As usual, the title track remains the album highlight, with a structure that actually manages to sustain the quality set by the awesome intro (I'm looking at you, Crazy Train). Elsewhere, Quietus Reprise has a sound somewhere between Sabbath's Snowblind and Electric Funeral. Derivative or not, it works, as does the jammy outro. What doesn't, however, is Witchfinder General's clear attempt at a radio single, "Music" which would be catchy if the lyrics weren't so godawful. The 80's synth in the chorus isn't helping either. It's something of a common mistake that bands try to write a rock-anthem at some point in their careers: few realize that the real rock anthems usually aren't trying to be.
A good album on the whole, easily on par with its predecessor.
http://www.mediafire.com/?47h4hb2pd4cr4p4
2006 - Live 1983
A recording of a live performance they did sometime in 1983. The sound fidelity is pretty low--I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is an audience recording--but it's good to hear the vintage lineup tackle their first two albums in a live setting. Some sound even better than their album counterparts.
http://www.mediafire.com/?11hrvg4ra0cannc
2007 - Buried Amongst the Ruins
Mostly just a collection of demos, a few live numbers, and the two tracks from the original 7" single, which had never been released on CD. I wouldn't say it's essential to have, particularly if you've already got the 7" posted above, but "Soviet Invasion" is a pretty cool track you won't find anywhere else.
http://www.mediafire.com/?7aijna24qzizea3
2008 - Resurrected
In the interim period between Witchfinder General's twenty-year hiatus and their reforming, the hype for their "proto-Doom" sound clearly reached the band's ears. As a result, the album has a decidedly retro sound (even for Doom), sounding as though it was recorded just after Friends of Hell in 1984, rather than 2008. In that sense it's a rather safe album, but then, isn't this exactly what doom fans want? Original vocalist Zeeb Parkes has been replaced by newcomer Gary Martin, whose voice has a bit more of a punk edge to my ears (or he might simply be less talented). For the most part he does his job well enough except for a particularly grating section in "The Gift of Life". The rest of the songs are decent enough. Nothing jaw-dropping, but that's about consistent with the rest of Witchfinder General's output. You'll find something to enjoy, although you might never find anything of the raging-boner-inducing quality of something like Black Sabbath's "Into the Void" (other people get those while listening to that song, right?).
http://www.mediafire.com/?xulb8cd01jo6diz
Link Recap:
Next up: Count Raven
Soviet Invasion was released as a EP on its own!
ReplyDeletethank very fucking much!!
ReplyDeleteMuchas gracias! Sos un genio
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFriends of Hell, Resurrected Links Fail! thanks man! the best
ReplyDeleteDownload link of Death Penalty doesn't work... Anyway, thanks for these masterpieces brother!
ReplyDeleteThe last album doesn't work. But, thank you for these albums!
ReplyDelete