What The Hell Happened To... 03.23.09: Angel Witch - Angel Witch Posted by Dan Marsicano on 03.23.2009
This week, Dan Marsicano puts Angel Witch in the spotlight with an analysis of their self-titled debut album, while Gama Bomb is the band you should be listening to!
The Introduction
Hello, all my followers, to another barn-burning edition of What The Hell Happened To…I'm your host, the man who has dedicated 97% of his life to writing and listening to music, Dan Marsicano.
Last week, I had the privilege to talk to Mastodon bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders. With the band's new album, Crack The Skye, coming out this week, it was the perfect opportunity to get in a word with Sanders about all the inner-workings of Crack The Skye, plus his opinion on the most underrated Mastodon song (the answer might surprise you). If you got a spare minute, check out the Mastodon interview.
It's time for my weekly brag-a-thon, where I list off all the web sites I write for. I recently got a gig with the Heavy Metal section of About.com and am also currently still writing at Metal Underground (under the alias heavytothebone2) and SMN News. Don't worry; I haven't forgotten about the loyal readers at 411. The column will still be around, but there will be fewer reviews than normal. Look for a review of Papa Roach going up sometime this week, once I pick the album up.
I have a calendar that I use to keep track of what the next album is to be analyzed, and Angel Witch's self-titled debut was intended to be looked at further down the road. However, after picking it up about a month ago, I haven't been able to remove it from my play list. So, I decided to give this NWOBHM classic the spotlight it never really got, but deserved very badly.
The Band
Kevin Heybourne- Vocals, Guitar
Kevin Riddles- Bass
Dave Hogg- Drums
In the late 1970's, disco and funk music ruled the airways. Even classic rock bands, like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Queen, began to experiment with their sound, to mixed results. In Europe, a new genre began to form, one that combined the dark lyrics and tough image of heavy metal with the ferocity of punk; the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, or NWOBHM as it would be later shortened to. This wave swept the music world, influencing thousands of bands and transforming a whole new era of metal.
Out of this wave came countless bands, each one looking to make a name for themselves. We all know bands like Iron Maiden and Def Leppard came from this time period, but what about the smaller bands? The ones who were only a blimp on the radar? It is agreed by many that the highpoint of the NWOBHM era was between 1979 and 1981. In this time, there was literally dozens upon dozens of debut albums that tried to catch an audience. The problem usually became either maintaining a fan base for more than just one record, or keeping the band itself together without falling apart.
London, England trio Angel Witch released their self-titled debut album in 1980. Almost less than a year later, the band would break up, re-forming several times, with vocalist/guitarist Kevin Heybourne being the only constant member throughout. The band's situation undermines the impact that their debut had on the NWOBHM. For some, Angel Witch can be considered an underrated classic, a gem that got lost in the shuffle.
"Angel Witch" Music Video
What makes this album stand out from the pack is the band's obsession with themes of the occult, which mixed well with their hard-hitting, yet melodic, sound. Everything is seeping with black decay and evil undertones, though not to the extreme that Venom went for. With titles like "Angel Of Death" and "Devil's Tower," combined with the dreary and red-soaked cover art, Angel Witch did an efficient job of selling their image to the mass public.
What is contained in the ten tracks and 38 minutes of music on Angel Witch is a journey into the underworld, where magic and mystical creatures rule over the weak and absent-minded. The title track starts off the album with a nuclear-sized explosion, driven by Heybourne's wild soloing. His guitar work has never gotten any type of recognition, a shame considering how integral of a role it plays on Angel Witch. His vocals, on the other hand, lack power and lean into the whiny category from time to time. To his credit, Heybourne has a wicked scream that he doesn't use enough of.
The title track is the band's most popular track, and with good reason. "Angel Witch" is a catchy head-banger that doesn't let up for three-and-a-half minutes, so trying to top a song like the opener can be a tough task. While the band never quite reaches that high plateau it carved for itself on the first track, the rest of the album is filled with consistent and top-notch material. "Atlantis" describes the rise of the underwater society we all know and love, with a brutal twist. The chorus, in particular, is memorable with the backing vocals adding support to Heybourne's claim that "the world is at its end, to wait for Atlantis to rise."
"White Witch" and "Angel Of Death" are the epic numbers, with a heavy sound, complete with galloping riffs ala Iron Maiden and guitar harmonies all over the place. The latter is a personal favorite of mine, a song that would have been a perfect ending to Angel Witch, but instead has its rightful place stolen by the short instrumental "Devil's Tower." The former, however, is still a great tune, complete with a catchy clean vocal section.
"Angel Of Death" Live Soundboard 1981
"Sorceress," a simple but effective ballad, has been compared to the Iron Maiden classic "Remember Tomorrow." While I see the similarities in the beginning, "Sorceress" becomes its own beast with a fantastic guitar/keyboard solo at the end that showcased a progressive side to the band. "Free Man" is the other ballad on the album, an edgier one than "Sorceress," with some tasteful jazz-influenced soloing by Heybourne showcasing a different side of the guitarist.
The rhythm section of Kevin Riddles and Dave Hogg, on bass and drums respectively, are an understated force to be reckoned with. While Heybourne would enlist other rhythm musicians into his band, none of them had the chemistry that Riddles and Hogg shared. While this is the "Kevin Heybourne Show" for the majority of the album, the rhythm work still stands out, even in the dry production of Angel Witch.
After their debut, Angel Witch would fade into obscurity, with two more full-length albums, 1985's Screamin' and Bleedin' and 1986's Frontal Assault, to their name. The band is still together, playing occasional festival gigs. Angel Witch may not have had the sales or acclaim that other bands that came out of the NWOBHM did, but it was one of the strongest debuts. There isn't any filler on here; no lame attempts at commercialism. Angel Witch is an album that time forgot about, but thanks to the advances in technology, and a sweet 25th anniversary edition with several bonus tracks, a new generation can get their hands on an album that should've led the NWOBHM into the rise of a changing era of metal.
Thrash metal is making a comeback these days, and Gama Bomb is one of the strongest bands coming out of this new thrash wave. Mixing their love of video games and zombies, the Irish quintet has taken the thrash genre by storm, as their fan base grows larger by the day.
They play fast music, and when I say fast, I mean fucking fast. They don't have any room in their songs for melodic sections. No, it's a full-on sonic assault. The band has released two albums to date, with their latest being 2008's Citizen Brain. These guys have a great sense of humor, and don't take themselves too seriously. The solos fly freely, the vocals are a mix of a punk-ish sneer and a banshee wail, and the songs are in the two-to-three minute category. They are one of the brightest bands in metal today, and here are some videos to prove my point.
"Zombie Brew" Live London, England (Credit: Orangeofannihilation)
"In The Court Of General Zod" Live (Credit: Orangeofannihilation)
The Conclusion
Well, that is it for me this week. I hope you all were entertained by a look back at Angel Witch. Next week, I will be bringing the progressive rock thunder with a look at a underappreciated Yes gem, the 1974 album Relayer. The first album without keyboardist Rick Wakeman since 1971's Fragile, Relayer had only three tracks, with a 20-minute opener taking up the first side. It should be a great read next week, so come back for another hair-raising edition of What The Hell Happened To…
