Witchery

Don’t Fear The Reaper (Century Media)
by Scott Hefflon

Wow, what happened? I kinda let others review Witchery for a few years, and when I check back in, I get a fraction of the metal thrashing mad fun, few razor-sharp guitar lead duels, and the humor is all but gone. C’mon, Restless and Dead, Dead, Hot and Ready, and now this “serious” slab of typical metal moves? Can’t believe Necropolis got the best you had to offer, and now yer on the mighty Century Media, and you tank!

Yeah, ok, so there’s a few nice moshing moment here and there, and some evil thirds singing sweet Slayer, but the majority here seems tired and played out, sick of the joke, sick of knocking it up a notch – the great metal challenge – and just kinda ends up wandering in mid-tempo circles, wondering what random trick to toss in next, just to avoid falling asleep at the wheel. The instrumental, “War Pieces,” has a few great Haunted rolling riffs, the main one bent and slathered in swamp rot, and absolutely glorious, the highlight of an album with very few, if any, others.
(www.centurymedia.com)