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Stormwitch: Bound To The Witch

Traditional Heavy Metal

4.0/5.0

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Massacre Records
Releasing: 29.06.2018
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 27.06.2018

Something of a German heavy metal legend, Stormwitch was formed at the height of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWoBHM) invasion which was sweeping through both Europe and North America. The band has had several seasons of activity, with the latest revival coming with 2015's Season Of The Witch. Following a similar theme, Stormwitch returns with Bound To The Witch for Massacre Records.

Stormwitch

With their eleventh album, Stormwitch wants first to overwhelm you with their traditional heavy metal. Bound To The Witch offers 14 songs, including three bonus tracks (in the digipak) at over 65 minutes. Hey, I'm certainly not complaining: more bang for your buck as it were. But can this heavy metal overload keep your interest? Yeah, for the most part. But several musical themes present themselves rather quickly. Most songs turn on twin guitar harmony with blistering solos, attention to melody, modest to quick pacing, rock groove from the rhythm section, and Andy Muck's clean voice and vocal harmony. Muck, for this part, has the keen ability to follow the melody and groove of every song. Yet, fundamentally, the Stormwitch formula is simple: get going with riffs and groove and then get to the finishing guitar solo. All these things come together in most every song. But to pick some favorite cuts, I would choose Odins Ravens, Ancient Times, Arya, and the quite catchy Life Is Not A Dream, a classy heavy metal rocker. Basically, Bound To The Witch is simply Stormwitch delivering their version of classic "keep it true" melodic heavy metal. If you liked what they've done in the past, you will most likely dig this album. Recommended.

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Bound To The Witch is simply Stormwitch delivering their version of classic "keep it true" melodic heavy metal. If you liked what they've done in the past, you will most likely dig this album. Recommended.

Alphabetical Index

eviewing my archives, I was pleased to find that I have had the privilege to review every Lionville since their self-titled debut in 2011. Formed by Stefano Lionetti, a songwriter, singer and guitarist based in ... [ Read More ]