### Witchery: Restless and dead

#### 14/01/10 || Daemonomania

As most metalheads in the know know, Witchery is a “supergroup” formed from members of about 2,000 other Swedish bands – primarily Satanic Slaughter and Séance. They play tongue-in-cheek speedy thrash metal with more than a hint of death and black. And while the tunes aren’t hard or barahutal by any means, there’s a high degree of entertainment and dare I say fun to be gathered from their decade of output.

Had I picked up “Restless and dead” about 8 years ago, when locked in the thrall of The Haunted’s “Made me do it”, I would have rated this fucker a 9 without thinking twice. These days, however, I’ve just about had it with the whole Sweden-melodic-thrashy-kinda-deathy thing. Only a few tunes from this scene succeed in priming my pump to any degree now. Bad news for Witchery, good news for Zyklon I guess.

Still, there’s no denying the musicianship and catchiness present in large quantities on “Research and development”. These dudes know how to write a riff – and not just riffs that would later appear in weaker forms on Haunted albums. While the production is pretty dry and frankly a bit weak, the basswork of Sharlee D’Angelo gets plenty of juicy, floppy coverage. Not to mention the delightfully foul, somewhat studio-treated rasp of Toxine. When he slushes out those campy diabolic lyrics, well, we’re talking a major bonus point and extra life mushroom to Witchery in general.

Highlight tracks, you ask? Let me tell you, I say. The opener “The reaper” is a heads down thrashfest with a great chorus that makes me think of an evil Kelly Ripa coming to get you! Damn, that shit would be frightening. She already looks skeletal, so with a VERY SLIGHT modification, yes, here we are…

HEEEELLLLLP! Whew, recovering. Ok, also firmly in the sweet category is the midpaced “Midnight at the graveyard” with a great section involving two guys arguing as they exhume a casket. “All evil”, if memory serves, features a great break in the middle where the band unleashes guitar and bass solo fury. Drumming, however, remains pretty restrained. They just brought ole Axenrot in to gently massage the skins, however, so I’m assuming the asskicking factor of whatever 2010 Witchery might offer will be upped considerably. Anyway, “The house of raining blood” is a slower beast and drips with menace. Good stuff.

Yes, there is a title track and a band name track on here. Even Motorhead didn’t sink that low in the creativity department. At least not in one album simultaneously.

“R & D” is a good soundtrack for beer drinking and possibly hell raising, but Witchery build no settlements encroaching upon the Nation of Innovation. If you can still raise wood for The Haunted, Impious, The Crown, and friends then by all means pick it up. Just watch out for “The Ripa” – that skinny biatch nearly killed Regis repeatedly and he’s one tough old bastard.

- Information
- Released: 1998
- Label: Necropolis Records
- Website: www.witchery.se
- Band
- Tony “Toxine” Kampner: vocals
- Sherlee D’Angelo: bass
- Richard “Rille” Corpse: guitars
- Patrik Jensen: guitars
- Mique: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. The Reaper
- 02. Witchery
- 03. Midnight at the Graveyard
- 04. The Hangman
- 05. Awaiting the Exorcist
- 06. All Evil
- 07. House of Raining Blood
- 08. Into Purgatory
- 09. Born in the Night
- 10. Restless & Dead