The great advantage of deciding to write reviews is that you sometimes discover a gem that you might have otherwise missed. In the Telegram group of the Portuguese Blessed Altar Magazine, where I also get to drop a review or two every month, I was pointed toward Black Witchcraft from Poland—and what an album this is.
Black Witchcraft consists of two members from the Polish band Occultum—Jh on drums, while Gavron handles everything else. This is fantastic second-wave-inspired Black Metal with plenty of variety and a hellish pace. On top of that, it seems Gavron has somehow swallowed a piece of Tom Araya’s DNA, because alongside all the infernal shrieks, an occasional old-school Araya yell can also be heard on this album.
With a killer raw production, a badass logo, and a beautifully painted cover, this is a solid and complete album that will make your blood run cold and occasionally scare the life out of you.
Track after track, you get beaten around the ears, knocked down, and dragged back up only to endure the torment all over again. But this is the kind of pain that feels oddly satisfying, leaving no bruises—only the urge for more, and then even more.
With highlights like “Gospel of the Gallows”, featuring a killer mid-tempo riff that momentarily drags you back to the ‘90s, or “I Am the Poison in God’s Veins”, with its old Bathory-esque intro riff and the occasional infamous Tom Araya scream that sounds almost sampled straight from “Angel of Death”, this is a year-list-worthy album from start to finish.
The album has been released on vinyl and CD, so this is definitely another one for my wishlist. Guess reviewing isn’t all advantages after all—it certainly fuels the urge to buy…
90/100
Black Withcraft:
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Under the Sign of Garazel Productions:
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