Just a year after releasing their debut album, Bewitched released a follow-up. In that year, Blackheim was out of the band other than some appearances doing vocals on this album. Bewitched became a power trio here.
Bewitched steers into the skid on this album, fully embracing turbo-charged speed metal with blackened influences. The black metal is a little more prominent this time around as the band sounds more like a hyper-active Mayhem or Darkthrone. They are not interested in spending a lot of time establishing a foreboding atmosphere though. They just want to break necks with their balls-to-the-wall riffing and blasting drums.
The songs are also catchy as Hell, turning dark lyrics into infectious choruses and hooks. Of particular note are "Hallways to Hell", "Night of the Sinner" and "Satan's Claw". The songs are generally short, but they are fast-paced and explosive.
Bewitched did not change much of the formula on this release, but they improved on what they were already doing. This was a great follow-up to an already terrific debut.
No comments:
Post a Comment