Review BEWITCHER “Spell Shock”

Portland’s blackened speed metal wizards Bewitcher are back with a new album. “Spell Shock” is the 4th full-length from the metallers, and the trio picks things up where they left off three years ago with “Cursed Be Thy Kingdom”.

Bewitcher stand for metal that feels like a slap in the face. Dirty and powerful, each of these ten songs acts like a wrecking ball, starting with the massive opener “Starfire Maelstrom”. The song is built on a berserk pace and a musical vision that goes back to bands like Venom and Motörhead. These are two bands that laid the foundation for Bewitcher to launch their blackened metal.

What starts with “Starfire Maelmstrom” continues with “Lavish Desecration”. It’s the next up-tempo anthem on the album that shows a lot of vigor and strength. Bewitcher don’t leave any room for regrouping. The vicious title track follows, while the dirty roots of rock’n’roll serve as the backbone for “Out Against The Law”. With a song like this, the band shows their approach to music. It is an anarchic vibe that runs through the entire album, a raging sonic assault on the listener’s ears.

The rock’n’roll inspiration echoes even more with “We Die in Dust,” which reflects the Motörhead influence on Bewitcher’s music. With “The Harem Conspiracy” the pedal hits the metal again. With all the brakes released, the trio fires on all cylinders before a special interlude called “Pagan Shadows” breaks the pattern of songs we have heard so far. The semi-acoustic instrumental is a kind of calm before the storm as Bewitcher go full speed ahead with “Ride of the Iron Fox”. With more than five minutes the song has an epic length, within the framework of Bewitcher’s musical hemisphere. It is another diabolical highlight on the album and a superb way to end the album.

“Spell Shock” is an album that reflects all the trademarks of Bewitcher. Massive metal attacks, blistering guitars and a hellish spirit is what runs through the whole album and if there is one thing that could be expanded it is the level of versatility. Bewitcher stays very much in the same well-known groove and has only one real moment with “Pagan Shadow”, which adds another twist to “Spell Shock”. However, Bewitcher’s fourth longplayer is an infernal musical trip, always close to chaos, but never too far ahead. That’s the anarchy I was talking about and one thing is for sure. Train your neck muscles because this release will make you headbang a lot.