Witchunter : Crystal Demons
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
For the past few years a storm has been building. We saw the lightning in Sweden when Wolf debuted, and felt the thunder in North America when bands like Widow, Cauldron and White Wizzard heeded the metal call. The storm, which has been dubbed the New Wave of Traditional Metal, is in full force now, and is raging globally. One of the latest traditional metal revivalist bands to take up the denim and leather crusade is Italian band Witchunter, who make their debut with Crystal Demons.
Unlike say, White Wizzard, which pure Maiden worship, Witchunter appears to draw influence from some of the lesser-known members of the legendary New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) scene. You can clearly hear traces of Holocaust, Tygers of Pan Tang, Savage and especially Chateaux in Witchunter’s high-speed metal assault. Crystal Demons is all about high-speed riffing, headbanging rhythms and high-octave vocals. That last part is the album’s main weakness. Vocalist Steve Di Leo has plenty of power, but his delivery could use some polish. His clean style is noticeably accented, and when he attempts a Steve Grimmett-style scream the results can be painful. The production values are also pretty rough, though at times that only reinforces the whole NWOBHM vibe. Crystal Demons does have its moments though. The doomy, Witchfinder General sounding “The Breath of Satan” is a flat-out fantastic epic, and has lyrics Ghost would envy. The speed metal anthem “Witchunter” is also impressive, and the album closes on a most appropriate note, with a solid cover of the Tygers of Pan Tang song “Hellbound.”
Weaknesses aside, you have to admire what Witchunter is all about. In a metal scene increasingly subdivided into ever more specific sub-genres, it’s good to see a young band embracing the simpler, uncomplicated heavy metal sound. Their enthusiasm for classic heavy metal in general and the NWOBHM in particular is contagious. If they can work out some of the rough spots, Witchunter will be well worth watching in the next few years.
Genre: Traditional Metal
Band:
Steve Di Leo (v)
Frederico Iustini (g) (v)
Silvio Verdecchia (b) (v)
Andrea Capece (d)
Andrey Kruglov (d)
Track Listing:
1. Shadow of the Night
2. Crystal Demons
3. Over the Lightning
4. Speed Killer
5. Road Master
6. Ready Tonight
7. Princess of Hell
8. The Breath of Satan
9. Witchunter
10. Hellbound
Label: My Graveyard Productions
Website: www.myspace.com/witchuntermetal
Hardrock Haven rating: 6.5/10