When Magnus Pelander formed Witchcraft twelve years ago to record a one-off tribute to Pentagram and The 13th Floor Elevators, he probably did not envision how things would take off. After being signed to Lee Dorian’s (of doom band Cathedral) Rise Above records on the strength of that recording, “No Angel Or Demon,” it turns out Pelander had a talent for not just capturing the fat, fuzzy analog sounds of 70s proto-doom and psych, but also for songwriting. Witchcraft (2004) appealed to a surprisingly large audience made up of stoner rock fans looking for something else as the Kyuss/Queens Of The Stone Age influenced bands were winding down, fans of 80s doom like Saint Vitus, Trouble and Candlemass, and those just delighted to hear a band that evokes sounds from the early 70s but with fresh new songs. Firewood (2005) improved on the sound of the basement-brewed debut, while The Alchemist (2007) saw them enter a new level of songwriting, mixing in some prog and folk. I was immediately hooked, and craved more. But there wasn’t really anyone else at the time, at least no bands who could remotely match Witchcraft’s skill in extracting the subtle flavors of prog, psych and proto-metal that made them much more than a doom revival act.
A lot has changed since 2007, however, and now there are loads of bands exploring the territory originally mined by Witchcraft. But if anything, they’ve showed that the creative possibilities have been far from exhausted (discussed in last month’s review of Captain Crimson’s Dancing Madly Backwards). Building up to the release of their long-anticipated fourth album, Metal Blade reissued Witchcraft’s first three albums in July. See the Pop Matters review here. After five years of mysterious silence, speculation and anticipation, and my t-shirt from the 2007 tour getting worn out, Legend has arrived, and it earns its title by confirming Witchcraft’s godfather role in this scene, and their ever-growing potency. A lot has been made of the line-up change — everyone but Pelander and bassist Ola Henriksson is different, including the use of the thundering sticks of Oscar Johansson from Truckfighters and Simon Solomon and Tom Jondelius filling in for guitar duties now that Pelander is focusing solely on vocals. The result is that Pelander gives his most confident, commanding vocal performance so far, and is backed by a far heavier sounding band than ever before. The production enhances this evolution, relaxing on the obsession with 1972 and sounding slightly more modern. Many fans have already been complaining, of course, but I recommend they put all four albums on rotation and listen to it all on random like I did all last weekend. It’s all still recognizably Witchcraft, but just heavier with a lot more memorable riffs. And to those without preconceptions, the production still sounds closer to 70s analog sound than most anything else around.
But it’s the songs that will likely help greatly expand Witchcraft’s audience. Being on Nuclear Blast and having Phil Anselmo credit the band with inspiring Down to reunite and name drops from celebrities like Elijah Wood won’t hurt either. But the songs! “Deconstruction” is an astonishing opener, with hooks that Tony Iommi would sell his soul, or at least his best wooden fingers to be able to come up with for the new Sabbath album. The bridge is pure liquid psychedelia, invoking images of a loa escorting you to the land of the dead. “It’s Not Because Of You” and “Ghosts House” are solid, riff-filled singles to introduce the masses to the album, but “Flag Of Fate,” “An Alternative To Freedom” and “White Light Suicide” could have served just as well. On “Democracy” Pelander unleashes some invective and f-bombs. Whether it addresses politics in Sweden or more universally, it’s a timely tune for the U.S. with the looming elections. “Dystopia” starts out sounding practically ethereal, almost like some lighter moments of The Doors before getting heavy three minutes in. The 12:10 “Dead End” continues Witchcraft’s tradition of ending the album with an epic-length tune. It doesn’t quite match the scope of The Alchemist’s progged-out title track, but it’s still a pretty amazing, dramatic end to the album. “By Your Definition,” offered just as a bonus track on certain formats, is also a gem. If I had my way, I’d have had them include the B-side to the first single, “Take Me With You When You Die.” It features an ominous walking bass and spare tom-toms, a simple departure but quite addictive. Even their b-sides are killer.
Like all bands bold enough to make major growth spurts, Witchcraft will shed a small percentage of fans who will never be happy with any change, but who can at least piss off and enjoy the reissues. Meanwhile there should a hundred times more new fans who will appreciate them simply as one of the best heavy rock bands around. I look forward to their U.S. tour, hopefully with labelmates Graveyard.
Buy – http://store.nuclearblastusa.com/Search/witchcraft
