Customer Reviews

The Witching Hour

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

 

 

While not as hard edged as the classic "Masque Of Shadows" cd, fans of YS should love this ambitious double release. Before you start comparing this to MOS, I suggest you dim the lights, grab a class of your favorite brew or two, put on some headphones and enjoy the journey-then you'll get it. Congrats boys on another very original very enjoyable piece of work. It's only a shame these guys aren't touring major arenas-they should be!
Oh yeah want to really get your mind blown? Go see Yokeshire Live, no BS backing tracks or dubbed Harmonies these guys rock it old school, by keeping it real. A real treat if you get the chance go see them live or doing the acoustic live show both are awesome!

This album is overly ambitious, lacking in ideas, and just not performed as well as their masterpiece, Masque Of Shadows. The focus here is on meandering jams more so than tightly concieved songs. While their previous work showed chops, they weren't belabored. This album is just that. Also missing is the sumptuous production of MoS. The writing is also sub par, relying on old prog-rock cliches rather than the smoothly executed retro-pastiche of the previous album. Being a double CD makes this mistep twice the disappointment.

After being consumed by Yoke Shire's beautiful "Masque of Shadows" album, I was very excited when "The Witching Hour" was released. I must admit that I was a bit disappointed after my first few listens, feeling the boys had ventured a little too far from the progressive aspects of their work that I found so appealing on "Masque.." However, I've learned from experience that extended projects (this is a double CD) often require and deserve the same patience from the listener (relatively speaking) that was dedicated by the artists during the creation and execution process. So now, after several more plays, I am finding this work to be very rewarding on its own terms. If you have a love and appreciation for 60's/70's style hard rock music with a healthy dash of progressive era spice, give a listen to Yoke Shire - well done boys!