Though it's been six years since their last platter of thrash laden black metal, the band known as Witchery haven't lost a step here on their latest release for Century Media, titled In His Infernal Majesty's Service. Hard to believe these guys have now been around for 20 years, but they've reconfigured their line-up for this momentous occasion, bringing on board new vocalist Angus Norder and drummer Chris Barkensjö to join up with original members Jensen (guitar), Rikard Rimfält (guitar), and Sharlee D'Angelo (bass), all of whom have their normal gigs in bands such as The Haunted, Arch Enemy, Seance, LIK, and Nektrokraft. In His Infernal Majesty's Service was produced and mixed by Daniel Bergstrand at Dug Out Studio.
As has been the case with any of the other previous five Witchery albums, expect plenty of groove, crisp & crunchy riffing, blazing guitar solos, snarling vocals, and a wealth of melody. Tracks like "The Burning of Salem", "Lavey-athan", and "Zoroast" burn along at a frantic pace, with trashy guitars, acrobatic drums, and savage vocals delivering the metal goods, while blistering black metal filled with thunderous blast beats and venomous shrieks can be heard on the rampaging "Gilded Fang". For my money however, it's the mid paced thumpers "Nosferatu", "Empty Tombs", "Feed the Gun", and "In Warm Blood" that carry the most mileage, serious 'black n roll' tunes that feature solid hooks to go along with massive riffs. On the downside, there's probably 2-3 tunes too many here, and a few border on the generic a bit, but overall this is a more than solid collection of neck snappers that show Witchery still at the top of their game. Welcome back guys!
Track Listing
- Lavey-athan
- Zoroast
- Netherworld Emperor
- Nosferatu
- The Burning Of Salem
- Gilded Fang
- Empty Tombs
- In Warm Blood
- Escape From Dunwich Valley
- Feed The Gun
- Oath Breaker
- Eye For An Eye
- Cloak And Dagger
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