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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Turns into gold, 26 Oct 2007
If you want to be technical, an alchemist transforms base metals into gold -- or at least, that's what they tried to do.
Well, Witchcraft's dark, grimy stoner-rock was hardly "base metal" to begin with -- no pun intended -- but the Swedish band are even more polished in their third full-length album, "The Alchemist." Lots of heavy blazing stoner-rock tinged with metal and blues, but faster and more energetic than in their last album.
I started getting uneasy with the first song, "Walk Between the Lines," a relatively sprightly song full of twisting guitar and nimble drums. For Witchcraft, this is positively poppy, but it has the hard edges to keep you listening, especially when Magnus Pelander is unleashing his dramatic, sinuous vocals.
Then things REALLY get moving with the fiery, driven doom-rocker "If Crimson Was Your Colour." The songs that follow are a bit more in the vein of their past releases -- grimy, retro-flavoured stoner hard-rock, with slowly twisting riffs and intense melodies. But they are a little faster and more energetic than before, and the sound suits them.
Things do pep up a little in the last quarter with the energetic "Remembered." But the album really blossoms with the fifteen-minute finale: a solid stoner-rocker that dissolves into a melodious, airy little guitar tune laced with watery synth. Then it picks up steam again, and grinds back into a rapid-fire hard-rocker... and ends with a lonely little riff.
"The Alchemist" is a bit more friendly to new listeners than Witchcraft's past two albums. But they haven't sacrificed more than a little of their brooding stoner-rock sound -- it's still driving hard-rock with a doom edge, as well as heavy doses of blues-rock and psychedelica. Think the Black Angels meet Wolfmother.
Each song is driven by gut-grinding, fuzzy basslines with lots of sizzling, twisting guitar riffs, and Pelander, Ola Henriksson and John Hoyles twist those instruments into a hazy, unstoppable storm. As if the seventies doom-rock weren't enough , they line a few of the songs with Fredrik Jansson's solid drums, jazzy trumpet, and some colourful retro keyboard.
That retro feeling isn't hurt by Pelander -- think Jim Morrison, but far more dramatic. He's got the vocal strength to roar above the louder songs ("Imposter without knowing/Your belief's been defiled!"), but a smooth, sensual enough voice for the softer songs. And he sings some excellent, vaguely poetic songs about fantasy staples -- dragons, the lifetimes of kingdoms, magicians and temples.
"The Alchemist" isn't pure gold, but it's a solid nugget of powerful hard rock, with a bluesy retro flavour. Definitely casts a spell.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
My first Amazon review, 11 Jan 2008
Also my first purchase of 2008. Like this album a lot but it IS very derivative of the late 60's, early seventies. Imagine if you will Black Sabbath (lite) fronted by Jim Morrison. Not as good as either of those but wsell up to scratch in today's market.
I found this in the heavy Metal section but it is not that heavy and is definitely NOT metal.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Golden Age, 16 Dec 2007
Swedish band Witchcraft were originally formed as a sort of tribute to 70's Virginia based doom band Pentagram. The band's work ethic is based around reproducing or replecating Pentagram & other 70's band's such as Iron Butterfly to create their own brand of authentic & nostalgic rock/doom. In fact, the band played a gig in 2006 covering two Pentagram songs with guest vocals by Bobby Liebling, the original Pentagram singer/founding member.
While this is the bands third release, on Lee Dorrian's Rise Above records (also home to Electric Wizard & the brillant Welsh band Taint) this is my first dose of Witchcraft & whilst avoiding using any terrible puns, the album is simply magnificent. Similar to the most recent release by Electric Wizard, the album is so authentic & warmly produced, sounding just like a record by any number of the 70's bands Witchcraft cite as their influences. Frontman Magnus Pelander has a superb voice & the producer, as well as the rest of the band, know it. His vocals sit clearly upfront in the mix, while the rest of the band effortlessly create sheer brillance around him. No one tune has a specific chorus or vocal section, whilst all of them are extememly catchy. The melodies twist & turn, keeping you listening & bringing constant reasons to delve into the album time & again. Opener 'Walk Between The Lines', sets the stage in grand fashion acting as a solid example of how every track works. The simple formula of bass-guitar-drums is stretched to maximum effect, producing pretty uptempo rock with a slight hint of prog such as in 'Remembered' (whch contains a very jazzy bit of saxophone from Anders Andersson) & the 13 odd minute closer 'The Alchemist'. The lyrics, whilst being slightly on the kooky, mythological side ('Within the darkest hour, when the dragon releases it's power') are also brillant, perfectly capturing the antique quality of the music.
My personal favourites are 'Walk between the Lines', 'Hey Doctor' & the excellent 'Samaritan Burden' which strangely reminds me of Tool. Really though, every track is a keeper & the initial dissappointment of there only being 7 tracks on the album becomes irrelevant when you spend time with them. An absolutely amazing album, well deserving of the five stars & other top reviews it received upon release (Terrorizer magazine gave it 9/10 & album of the month!). True musical gold.
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