Band: Witchcraft/The Sword Album: Split Label: Kemado Rating: 9/10 Website: http://www.kemado.com BUY NOW!

Swedish doom messiahs Witchcraft and Texas stoners The Sword have combined forces to release a superb vinyl only split. The 5" is available in a number of different colours and is limited to 2500 copies. The two bands have been two of the best bands on the vintage metal scene; both bands having built up good reputations over the last few years with solid album release and excellent live shows. The sword also had a boost featuring on guitar hero two. The combination of the two on a split release can only be a good thing. Side A of the split contains two songs from The Sword. The first song, "Sea of Spears" seems hopeful for the future of the band. When I heard their first debut release "Age of Winters" I wondered whether they could continue making music of the same quality or whether they would be another retro rock band capable of producing only one solid album. If their new full length album is as solid as this they'll be on good ground. It carries on their 70s influenced hard rock from the previous album and does an excellent job of recreating everything I love from the music of the era. The second track is a Led Zeppelin cover of the "Immigrant Song". It's a good choice of song for them. It's got a good pace and they've done a bit heavier than the original. The vocals aren't as high pitched as the original, but that's no bad thing as the original does grate a little on the ears. It'll probably be disliked by some Led Zeppelin fans for not being the original, but as Led Zeppelin were no strangers to stealing other peoples work I don't care that much. Side B gives us three alternative versions of Witchcraft songs. For those of you who don't know Witchcraft yet the band is heavy on the Black Sabbath worship with folk influenced melodies. They manage wonderfully to make down tuned heavy tunes yet still having a beautiful delicate side to them. The split starts with, "bury your head". A great song of social isolation with great lyrics like "You wear your clothes like a hippie, In you they got no belief". The second track, "Queen of Bees" tells a bitter tale of the self centred, "Queen of Bees." The reworked version of "Sorrow evoker" is probably the version that sounds most different from the original with a fragile piano piece. I think one of the main points that attract me to Witchcraft is tell narratives in the way great folk bands do. They actually have lyrics that are interesting unlike a great many of the 70s retro bands that get the sound right, but then having nothing of interest to say. Witchcraft songs capture the imagination. You don't always now what the songs are about exactly, but you still pay attention to the lyrics. It's refreshing to have a band pay attention to their lyrics in a genre where too many bands just concentrate on getting a good riff into a song. Lyrics were one of the factors that made Sabbath more attractive to me than many of their contemporise, which Witchcraft seem to understand. Also like Sabbath they have a singer who may not be to everyone's tastes, but just like Sabbath it works. Magnus delivers the songs wonderfully. The only shame about this album is that only a limited number of people will get to hear it. Both bands have become firm favourites of mine over the last few years and I can only hope that they get the chance to continue doing what hey do so well. Joshua Johnson Back to Reviews