Customer Reviews

Friends Of Hell

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great and unique album. Very heavy and melodic, similar to Sabbath's album Technical Ecstasy. Geat guitar riffs and very unique straight ahead vocals. Requiem of Youth and Love on Smack are classics in my book. Quietus is the best tune on the album, very early Sabbath like, nice jam at the end. Overall I would rank this album as one of the best early 80's NWBHM releases. Sadly the best Witchfinder General song, Soviet Invation is not avaiable on CD, only on rare ep vinyl.

This album is needed in any Metal fan's collection. Sure, people say this band is just like Black Sabbath, but what doom band isn't compared to them? Just 'cause Sabbath was the first doesn't mean they need to be the last.

Anyway, this album starts off with the heavy track "Love on Smack", featuring nice changes and a good mix of fast and slow riffing. There after, the album does not let up with the wonderful Doom Metal. The only slow part is "I Lost You", a haunting acoustic ballad that only suffers from awful lyrics, something abnormal from the band.

Zeeb, the lead singer, is not an Ozzy clone, but definately has his own unique voice. If you like Angel Witch or Trouble, or even modern doom bands like Cathedral or Paradise Lost, then give this album a try. It's definately worth it.

one of the best of the nwobhm acts.slow doom metal with a great metal edge.love on smack kicks it off with some of the best riffs.the title track my fav on this release.if you like the sabbath sounding bands of the early 80s lay down the cash and pick this one up

Witchfinder General were one of the few bands from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal that worshipped at the altar of Black Sabbath unashamed. While most of their peers were trying to race the devil,Witchfinder General slowed things down a bit. Many consider their first album,Death Penalty,to be the classic, but Friends of Hell is a worthy slab of molten doom its own right. Look beyond the tasteless and politically incorrect album cover and you'll find a ponderous,melancholic classic that even eclipses a few of the mighty Sabbath's offerings. Witchfinder General took Sabbath's sound but made the songs shorter and catchier. Resulting in songs like "Requiem For Youth" and the simply titled "Music". Another monstrously cool thing about this band was Zeeb Parkes' vocals. Parkes' took Ozzy's voice but added a touch of youthful mischief to avoid being derivative. He kind of reminds me a little of Faith No More's Mike Patton. My only complaint is that the album is a little brief (as was the case with Death Penalty). Witchfinder General has two non-lp tracks ("Satan's Children" and "Rabies") and an ep (Soviet Invasion)that could have easily fit on each of the two reissues,bulking them up for the cd age. Its just a minor gripe, though. I'd love to see Cathedral cover some of these songs. White Zombie could probably turn "Love On Smack" into a hit. Doom on!

By 1983, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal had largely died out, with several key bands having gone in a more commercial direction or otherwise fallen short of the creative drive that characterized their earliest releases.

Coventry's Witchfinder General were somewhat late-coming to the scene, having issued their debut LP in 1982. "Death Penalty" was a very solid affair of Sabbath-inspired doom but was held back by having only a couple real standout numbers, along with a barely passable production.

On 1983's "Friends of Hell," it was clear the band had improved in all possible areas -- production, song structures and overall musical maturity. Whereas before the lyrics focused on burning witches and other assorted nasty imagery (with infamous sleeve art to back it up), "Friends of Hell" is a more serious and consistent album and overall a big step forward. I could find no fault with most of the album. From the first track "Love on Smack," the sound quality is clear as a bell, including the bass, which was largely buried on the debut. The Sabbath-inspired riffing remains on this and the very catchy song to follow, "Last Chance." The ultimate classic though has to be track number three, "Music," which is an ode to a love for rock & roll that any music lover will readily identify with. Thanks, guys, for putting to words and to music something I've always felt but had never been able to adequately express. Side two is the more introspective and doomy side, complete with takes on recurring disillusionment and loneliness in "Shadowed Images." Appropriately, the album closes with a great bass interlude that couldn't have been heard properly had it appeared on the debut.

Both of the Witchfinder CD reissues on the U.K.'s Heavy Metal Records are choice, coming in beautiful cardboard slipcases that are the next best thing to owning the original LP. The CDs themselves are even made to look like mini vinyl records.

All in all, one of the last great NWOBHM releases and just an all around quality metal album. Highly recommended.

Thank God you can dig up classics like this only previously available on vinyl! Brought me back to high school days of yore. A must have for stoner,doom,psyche fans!

For Sabbath/doom lovers WG is a blessing. Their debut album pretty much kept the style alive in the burgeoning faster and louder mentality that pervaded the scene in England. Though how long can you keep the particular style going, Sabbath has done it for 30 plus years, but Witchfinder isn't Sabbath. So the follow up is of course a little weaker then Death Penalty, but still carries the torch. Shadowed Images and Love On Smack are the good cuts here, but its the title song that stands out the most, six minute satanic epic. Seemed as though Witchfinder took a stab at a commercial single, in two songs actually. Music and I Lost You, they're not embarassing but they don't add much. The final guitar showcase on the last song Quietus is pretty good too. Simply put, WG did pretty good amongst their NWOBHM peers who were mainly about fast riffs, motorcycles, sex, decadence etc. Of course they weren't without help as Venom was also doing a great job as far as the satanic atmospherics go. Only difference was WG never found it essential to speed up. Which is cool. For serious metal collectors, don't pass this one up.

these guys apparently missed the Ozzy years of black sabbath and decided to fill the gap loooonnnng before the likes of Cathedral began the Sabbath worship that is more or less a genre unto itself...
compared to metal nowadays,most of this will sound dated and somewhat simple,but dont let that scare you off!!most of the NWOBHM bands sound dated now,but you have to give 'em credit for contributing to that glorious punk influenced "do-it-yourself" noise racket!!

This album is historical metal and is notable but not as notable as death penalty in my opinion. No screaming and yelling all the words can be heard and are sung. They are in the likes of wytchfinde at the time but a little heavier. I would not say it is heavy metal by today's groups but again for 1980 or so it was considered heavy metal. The new wave of British Metal NWOBM is ok I am not one to hype any music much just by everyone saying ohh its what everyone was saying was the best at the time. This album is not worth 30 american dollars get death penalty for a heavier riffed album, or get pentagram relentless which is to me is close to death penalties riffs for an affordable price.

ah! this one takes me back,i`ve got this on picture disc.obscure 80`s british metal,sabathy in nature.