Review Summary: Just another Bewitcher album.
I’ll be the first one to tell you that I am not, in any way, the biggest fan of thrash metal. In fact, I’d be the first one to tell you that you could toss 90% of the genre in the trash bin. There are certainly some exceptions to the rule. Early Slayer and Metallica of course, early Sepultura, Heathen, Obliveon and some others. But of course BLACKENED thrash is a different story. Bands like Bathory and Immortal specifically come to mind. Others such as Destroyer 666 and Aura Noir also tickle the fancy hard. There’s something primitive sounding about the mix of black and thrash metal that just makes it better than regular ole thrash.*
Bewitcher is a band that has been on my radar for a few years. Their previous album
Cursed Be Thy Kingdom was honestly a complete snoozefest. The formula was there, but there were too many rehashed riffs and an almost “going through the motions” feel to it overall.
Spell Shock is their latest output, and while they haven’t put all concerns to bed just yet, it's definitely an improvement over their previous effort.
My main takeaway is that the riffage here just sounds so much fresher and more fun, which is key for this style of music. There’s a lot more groove overall and kind of a southern flare to the riffs as well. Kind of a certain “twang” to them that is a nice switch up to what was found on the last album. The solos on this album are also extremely headbangable and catchy as all hell and honestly one of my favorite aspects of the entire album. The overall sound is heavily thrash influenced with the black metal bits being pretty few and far between.
Sadly some of Bewitcher’s weaknesses rear their ugly heads as well. The vocals here are just not that great. They’re somewhere in between a half assed black metal style scream and a lazy sounding shout. I usually don’t complain about vocals unless they’re actively bothering me…and that’s exactly where we’re at here. They just add no type of power or energy that would be an awesome pair with the fantastic riffs present throughout. I have the same problem with the drumming. It’s not
bad per se but they just add no extra flare and are almost nonexistent for all intents and purposes.
Spell Shock honestly could have been way better than it actually is. With all the crazy good riffage, you’d think the rest of the band could pull their weight as well. Sadly that’s just not the case. You’ll definitely have some fun jamming this, the riffs almost warrant it. But these guys seem to shoot themselves in the foot a lot of the time. Maybe one day they’ll create something where it all comes together, but it hasn’t happened yet.
