If ever there was a band that has completely gone under the radar it is the Witchery. You’d have thought the release of an album created by a band made up of members from Arch Enemy, Opeth, Bloodbath and The Haunted would have sent shock waves through the world of extreme metal, but to date the bands four previous full length releases have come and gone and still the band appear anonymous to many. It’s not as though the previous albums have been such dire affairs that they did not warrant attention, Witchery’s particular brand of high octane packed Thrash metal is sure to appeal to any fan of the darker side of the genre. There lack of public awareness is therefore a mystery.

Given all of the above I was half expecting the bands latest release, "Witchkrieg" to perhaps take on a new direction in the hope of finding some wider appeal. I’m happy to report that the band have resisted such temptations and followed their now well trodden path to sonic destruction. The only significant change to 2006’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” is the addition of new vocalist Legion, who will be familiar to many as the ex-Marduk vocalist. Legion unsurprisingly does bring a little more of a Black metal vibe to the vocals this time around and his introduction to the band certainly has brought a new level of vitality to proceedings.

Rimfält and Jensen’s riffing is again straight out of the Hanneman and King book of writing monstrous Thrash songs, which for those familiar with the bands earlier work will know this is the bands tried and tested formula; not surprising then to hear Mr King makes a guest appearance on the album’s self title opening song. Unlike its predecessor "Witchkrieg" does have a much more instant appeal largely due to two major factors, the first being the production. The Tue Madsen production of “Don’t Fear the Reaper” while super polished and squeaky clean did I think stifle the music a little, whereas this time around the album has that live in the studio devil may care feel to it’s production quality, giving the album a far rawer sound that we’ve seen from the band before. The second and perhaps more obvious reasons for the albums more immediate appeal is the bands inclusion of far more hooks within their songs, you only have to take “The God Who Fell From Earth” as a case in point.

"Witchkrieg" is more akin to the bands earlier albums which dependant upon your view of those records may or may not be a good thing, but with guest appearances from Kerry King, Lee Altus, Gary Holt and Andy La Rocque the album does boast quite a supporting cast. It is perhaps these songs, "The Reaver" and "Conqueror's Return" in particular that therefore standout a little more than the others as album highlights, but of the ten songs on offer there isn’t the hint of a filler or bad song amongst them. "Witchkrieg" won’t win any prizes for breaking new ground and do I think the album will result in a host of new fans discovering the band; in a word no? But hey was that ever really the motive of the band, they’ve penned a totally evil, killer riff laden album which is totally Witchery? Job done and appreciate a good thing when you hear it!