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Witchery's latest, and definitely greatest, sees the band open with a very The Haunted sounding instrumental track. Jensen says the Björler brothers wrote much of his other band's last record, which kicked ass and took names, but maybe the twins' style has rubbed off on the prolific Jensen or perhaps he deserves more credit than he attributes to himself. That said Don't Fear the Reaper has nothing to do with the song of the same name by Blue Oyster Cult, which is fun, too (more cowbell!). Instead Witchery has unleashed an absolutely killer slab of Blackened Thrash that will keep heads banging and make necks sore, if not break. Throw up "the W" or simply raise your horns to killer riffs, shredding guitar leads, pummeling drums, great grooves, rumbling bass, and even a great vocal performance from Toxine, whom this writer could not stand in the live setting back on the 2001 The Haunted/Witchery tour of the U.S.
Tue Madsen, now famous for producing scads of bands, including The Haunted (there's that name again!), Heaven Shall Burn, and Himsa, provides crystal clear production that allows the music to pulsate, pound, and puncture all at once. The 13 regular album tracks are varied, going from a straightforward Thrash fest replete with a bit of Metallica's "Am I Evil?" cover fading into Slayer's "Hell Awaits" intro ~midway through "Stigmatized," to a Dimmu Borgir-inflected symphonic Black Metal crusher on "Ashes," to rabid Death-Thrash that easily bests the band's past output. A couple of nods to Mercyful Fate are also present, perhaps due to Sharlee D'Angelo, while "The Wait of the Pyramids" and "War Piece" are killer instrumental tracks that show vocals are unnecessary to slay. "Legion of Hades" is a bonus track that does not add much to the mix, though it has the band at full tilt in just 80 seconds.
So why did it take so long to get this 2004-recorded album released? Blame the record industry or maybe Necropolis Records. Here's to Century Media for providing a home for Witchery, hopefully for the long term. All that aside, this is the album for those of you who, like this writer, tire of Arch Enemy's omnipresence (and lackluster sound as of late) and thought The Haunted might have "experimented" a little too much on rEVOLVEr. Simply put, the music is unstoppable on this juggernaut. Don't Fear the Reaper is easily one of 2006's best releases and sure to be on Top Ten lists everywhere at year's end. W
| Tracklist |
| 1. Disturbing The Beast |
| 2. Stigmatized |
| 3. Draw Blood |
| 4. The Ritual |
| 5. Ashes |
| 6. Plague Rider |
| 7. Damned In Hell |
| 8. Crossfixation |
| 9. The Wait Of The Pyramids |
| 10. Immortal Death |
| 11. Styx |
| 12. War Piece |
| 13. Cannon Fodder |
| 14. Legion Of Hades |
| [Satanic Slaughter cover] |
: 47.15
| Buy other Witchery albums |
