BEWITCHER
Cursed Be Thy Kingdom
CENTURY MEDIA
Oregon’s speed/black maniacs tap into an old-school motherlode
Bewitcher are reminiscent of NWOBHM lost souls Demon, in that they can temper the triumphant metallic gestures of that golden era with bluesy doom-rock for extra dynamism. But the fact that this trio do so with shitloads of speed metal and first-wave black metal’s spiteful aggression really marks them out as ones to watch. Like Hellripper or Midnight, Bewitcher get that musical and vocal hooks and highenergy performances are paramount to success in this style. There’s also a brazen attitude here that was missing from the Oregon act’s pre-Century Media releases, as though they know they’ve hit full stride and their ‘Diamond Head being devoured by prime Venom’ sound is glowing red-hot like Hades. ★★★★★★★★☆☆