Customer Reviews

Don't Fear the Reaper

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With members of The Haunted and Arch Enemy participating, there was little doubt that Witchery's Don't Fear the Reaper would be a masterpiece of extreme metal. Yet the album manages to exceed even those expectations.

Simply put, the guitar riffs on this release are amazing. Each track is loaded with heavy, evil gems with powerful low end and intricate melodies. The occasional high-pitched phrase adds variety and unpredictability.

The credit, of course, goes to The Haunted's Patrick Jensen - his main band's Anders Bjorler typically overshadows him, but here he proves himself, unleashing passage after passage of nefarious noise.

Death metal growls can seldom do more than complement a good guitar riff, but "singer" Toxine makes a good go of it on Don't Fear the Reaper, belting the words rhythmically enough to make them catchy in and of themselves. The most obvious example of this is the chorus to "Ashes," where he screams: "Ashes to ashes and dust to death / Fade away / Burn away."

The record is incredibly consistent, though some would argue it is homogenous as well. There is no acoustic instrumental, no ballad - just one great metal track after another. To Witchery's credit, metal aficionados might note how the band combines the (somewhat different) styles of death, black and thrash.

Perhaps the only standout is the bonus song "Legion of Hades," a 90-second super-fast death metal hate-fest originally recorded when the band was called Satanic Slaughter in the mid-`90s. It certainly sets itself off from the rest of the CD.

Don't Fear the Reaper is targeted to a niche market, and even mainstream heavy metal fans will never catch on to it. But for anyone looking for that extra ounce of aggression only hard-core metal can give, this album is a great place to start.

Witchery returns with their 4th album, "Don't fear the reaper". Featuring their usual experienced line-up with TOXINE (ex-Satanic Slaughter/Seance) in vocals, Richard CORPSE (also was in Satanic Slaughter) and Jensen (SS/Seance now in THE HAUNTED) in guitars, Sharlee D'Angelo (Mercyful Fate, Arch Enemy, Sinergy, Illwill, Dismember) in bass, and Martin AXENROT(SS / Bloodbath) ...Experienced guys who know what they're doing, and how to do it right. Looking at these names, it's easy to guess what kind of music they play: Straight-forward thrash-death metal, with crushing-hard riffing guitars, with lots of double drum-kicking and satanic harsh growls courtesy of Mr. TOXINE, in a horror/terror/death/grave atmosphere (lyrics, vocals, sound, layout, cover, music, looks, etc). What would you expect from songs such as "Plague Rider", "Ritual", "Draw Blood", "Ashes" or Immortal Death"?!?!?...

Witchery didn't try to reinvent the genre with this brand new album, or try to do something experimental adding voice effects, or clean vocals, or synths like most bands do nowadays...Witchery's style is more old-school trash/death metal (with a state of the art) production than melodic death metal...They just did their thing, true to their roots, rocking hard and fast, with nothing out of place. They won't bore you with neverending solos or unneccesary parts. And that's precisely the thing I like the most: the simplicity in their music and, at the same time, their efficiency to create something new and fresh in a genre in which everything seems to be invented...

You'll find in this album different tempos; fast songs, mid tempo, some instrumentals. Mind-blowing songs such as the ultra-fast "Plague Rider", the opener "Stigmatized", "Immortal Death" (a Satanic Slaughter song) and "Cannonfodder", or heavy midtempos such as "Draw Blood" with a catchy riff and "Ashes", with a keyboard background in which a picture the band playing in a graveyard...

Anyways, I've liked this band since their first album, "Restless & Dead" (which I still consider their masterpiece) came out. I was really looking forward to this album and they didn't let me down...I find their style very appealing to my musical taste...I hope you will too!

SEPTEMBER, 2006.

during my listening to this album, I was able to pick up overtones of Overkill, Exodus, Megadeth, Testament,and Slayer. I don't know who Toxine sounds like, because this is the first Witchery album I have purchased. I hope a new album comes out because this one is KKKKKKKKiller. purchase this if you like Anthrax, Megadeth, Carnal Forge, The Haunted, Slayer, Overkill, Kreator, Sacred Reich (R.I.P.), Forbidden (R.I.P.), Flotsam & Jetsam, Horrorscope (?), Pantera (R.I.P.), Testament, Overkill, Exodus, Demiricous, Sodom, Destruction, and Rumpelstiltskin Grinder.

Their previous albumn never got the recognition it deserved in my mind, but oh well...I loved it. I was excited to buy this, and it has not been a disappointment. The bands sounds like you would expect from a group with members of the Haunted and Arch Enemy...swedish death metal, but they do it very well.

I'd have to say they are elite when it comes to this genre of metal. the songs are well crafted, catchy, and most of all, they aren't one sound throughout the albumn. What I mean is...it's not speed from start to stop...they change things up, and put in thought when writing hooks and solos. It's good musicianship, not just thrash for speed's sake.

If you are into bands like the Haunted definitely check them out, they have a wicked sound. Not original, but done very well.

Since i bought this album never stop on my car stereo. This is a terrific release from this group. Great guitar riffs, the vocals are good also and the drummer make an interesting tempo changes. This is their best record in my opinion and one of the best releases this year, so if you like Mercyful Fate and Rumpeltilskin Grinder, this is for you!!!

Don't let the cheesy name fool you. This is some of the best metal music I've ever heard. Eclectic and powerful it is a mixture of thrash and death metal styles (and some would include a black metal comparison as well). I'd say that it is mostly thrash metal, though. With death metal vocals. The style reminds me of a cross between Megadeth, Death, Mastodon, and Slayer, but with the higher talent of greater musicians.

I noticed this album and "Symphony for the Devil" as a result of a tip from a fellow fan on one of the fan boards out there. I was intrigued by the name, but I didn't expect them to be very good because they were fairly unknown and don't have much of a discography. But, what they have put out is fairly awesome, some of the greatest metal music ever. "Disturbing the Beast" quickly became my favorite metal tune.

If you get a chance then buy this album immediately. You won't be disappointed.

I picked this up at the Tower Records sell out (60% off) and I was not disappointed. This is quite good and a nice variety of death/thrash. It starts out with a great instrumental and goes into an interesting and fresh sounding group of songs. It has all the requisites of death, blast beats, harsh vocals, along with a thrash sensibility. I usually give four listens before I decide on an album but one listen gave me what I needed to know about this one. It is very good and highly recommended.

This album is pretty special. I've heard all of Witchery's catalog, and this one is the stand-out for me. From start to finish, it's a black metal masterpiece. I just wish certain members weren't over-extended with the other bands they are in so that I could see these guys live. If you're wondering which (witch?) of their albums to buy, get this one.

I'd like to give this album 4.5 stars, but since I can't I'll give them a 5 just so that i don't mess up their Amazon rating. This is a really well done album, much better than I expected. I would describe them as a death metal band, but not the grindcore/modern death metal style, rather, much more like old school death metal music (like the band DEATH). There is also a few songs that sound quite black metal, and a few songs that sound a bit thrashy. Whatever kind of metal you want to call it, it's good, and I like it.