Stormwitch – Witchcraft
Nuclear Blast – 2004
By Adam McAuley
Having heard one of
Stormwitch’s other supposed classics,
Beauty and the Beast, I came into the album knowing what to expect, to a certain degree, and wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. The band play heavy metal, but with really anthemic choruses and sugar coated vocals that makes me want to call them a power metal band. The style is cheerful and uplifting, making this a solid album to play if you want to be put in a good mood.
“Witchcraft” is probably the best song on the album, but a high standard of quality is maintained all the way through. Andy Muck has very accented vocals, typical of the style being performed, and they are an acquired taste. I’m not particularly fond of them myself, it’s the fun riffs and feel-good nature of the songs that wins me over. They have as much in common with
Helloween as
Iron Maiden, and not just because they’re German.
So, I can recommend this album to fans of power metal, but also of classic heavy metal…both should find a good deal to like with
Stormwitch. Now I just need to take a peek further into their extensive back catalogue and see what other gems the promising
Witchcraft indicates might be in store. Faults with the album? Well, it can sound a bit too much like power metal at times, and I usually prefer my traditional metal as pure as possible. And as stated earlier, I don’t really enjoy the vocals. But, like the recent
Evil Star album by
Wolf, this has rejuvenated my love for current classic metal ever so slightly.
7.5/10
Official Nuclear Blast website
Official Stormwitch website
