Death Penalty

With their moniker taken from a horror film starring the great Vincent Price and album art featuring a bare-breasted woman being sacrificed in an old cemetery, Witchfinder General presents us with a wonderful package in the form of NWOBHM with a dose of classic Hammer horror aesthetic. While never coming anywhere near the level of mainstream status, Witchfinder General managed to certainly make a name for themselves in their respective scene and leave us with one of the most influential and well crafted records of their time and place.

The album opens with Invisible Hate which starts off with a brief melancholy guitar instrumental before quickly turning heavy and mid-paced. Most of the songs on Death Penalty are actually mid-paced, the title song being the only consistently slow song on the record. Free Country is a surprisingly uptempo song and is really the only faster song on the album. The music on Death Penalty is very reminiscent of early Black Sabbath albeit a little updated. The heavy, doom-laden guitar riffs are clearly inspired by Tony Iommi and their singer Zeeb even sings in a similar pitch to Ozzy. This is not to say that they are a total clone of Black Sabbath, particularly as the bass and drums do not sound very much like Geezer Butler or Bill Ward. The music is also slightly faster than Black Sabbath for the most part. The songs on Death Penalty are performed very well and the instruments can all be heard very clearly. The bass and drums are rhythmic and powerful, and the guitars have a thick, punchy quality to them. Zeeb is a decent singer overall but struggles to hit high notes as is evident on Invisible Hate hate when he tries to to hit a high note and his voice cracks. The lyrical content of the album varies from the sexual No Stayer, burning witches such as with Burning A Sinner, and drug use with Free Country which speaks of mushrooms, marijuana, and heroin. The production on Death Penalty is actually very good and sounds quite clean.

Despite being firmly in the NWOBHM scene, Witchfinder General is often noted for being a large influence on Doom Metal and is even on occasion called such. While I personally do not consider them a doom band, I can in all fairness see it, and their influence is undeniable. If you are a fan of Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus or Trouble I think this would be right up your alley.

Never mind its misogynistic cover; Witchfinder General's Death Penalty plays a big part in heavy metal history as both a singular NWOBHM/doom hybrid and purveyor of rarely matched Black Sabbath worship. In other words, few bands can replicate the Birmingham Four's original sound, which stretches eons and minds alike. Even cooler, the Stourbridge trio injected an upbeat and ever-melodic solution to its songcraft, making it the dark horse of the new wave of British heavy metal, jolted into existence by a Frankensteinian bolt of genial authenticity and compositional genius, especially throughout these Matthew Hopkins adepts' primary record, the ever-listenable and instrumentally worthy Death Penalty. (For its subtly maligned part, Friends Of Hell features a very magical track).

Things start off with the band's lone balladic sentiment on "Invisible Hate", a clean, half minute coda consisting of a somber "Children Of The Damned" type guitar progression before a sassy guitar riff/raucous drum and bass stomp announce front man Zeeb Parkes' uniquely sophomoric, if not twisted and oft breaking voice. (I always chuckle at the 01:09 mark when he chokes on the word "concern".) This song feels like an outlier due to its breezily slack seesaw momentum. On guitar, Phil Cope is inflamed, as many of his wild lead moves replicate the wizened insanity of fellow throne forsakers Tony Iommi and Vincent McAllister (RIP) from days of yore. In particular, his slick phrasing and shrill, piercing tones remind me of a musical Sandevistan (for all you knowing Cyberpunk 2077 fans out there).

It only gets better once all-too-brief, legendarily drug themed (Cauldron reprised) "Free Country" glides in with full-on bluesy, air guitar attacking force. I freaked hard in the late nineties upon hearing the super rock n' rollish yet ethereal main riff, its slippery beat attributable to an electrified Bill Ward student in Graham Ditchfield. As far as riffing and soloing go, the sharply diametric secondary riff, alongside Phil's ubiquitously volatile contribution, further fuels classic, quintessential yearnings. Side A concludes with the titular slow burner, "Death Penalty", which cavernously plods beyond Zeeb's haunting admonitions before morphing from its mild mannered, Doctor Jekyll inquisitiveness into cranky Mister Hyde solvent abuse...and back again, as it fades towards Side B's bonkers announcement.

Effectively, "No Stayer (On A Saturday Night)" is something else. Divided in two parts, the wholly incongruous but logical intro features a downright crazed, "Electric Funeral" evoking jig of mammoth, bass-sized proportions, along with heaping dose of helter skelter guitar liable to make a corpse twitch - dig Phil's nutty "Wicked World" flourish which precedes such boogie woogie-ness, a raunchy hybrid of Rush's "Quarter To Eight" and Sabbath's "Sabbra Cadabra". No doubt this is Zeeb's token barroom tale of a weekend "wham bam thank you ma'am". Woeful officiality then prevails on Witchfinder General's namesake, which I view as their own "Paranoid" or perhaps "Relentless" (by Pentagram's 1980s incarnation). Tempers and tempos are raised thanks to a ballsy and hard-driven, no-nonsense riff wholly hummable out-loud, not to mention coverable to a fault, whilst vocally, Zeeb (he of the Hebrew Old Testament name meaning "wolf") redeems himself to a large degree.

Ending on stratospheric notes, "Burning A Sinner" and "R.I.P." blend into a mythical fog of fast, doomy riffing and soloing. The former's alpha riff and melancholic refrain justify its 1981 selection as a single, even if "Witchfinder General" feels less dubious. Its killer pacing i.e. reversion between chorus and main riff, gives off a catchy, almost poppy vibe, whilst "R.I.P" wastes no time crawling from the rain speckled ground with its ruefully stark, cowbell clanged riff and Zeeb's cultish, echoing chants permeating the dark and frigid atmosphere - notably during jocularly waltzing refrain. Such a powerful closer represents my next-favorite General Witchfinder track. As hinted above, an authentic gem crowns Hell Friends.

(Oh, how I'm relieved to have finally bowed, thus.)

So I found this band back in August after searching for some new classic heavy metal bands (I was getting a bit burned out on thrash) and I luckily stumbled across this great band. At first I was quite sceptical, but after doing some research, I found that these guys are regarded as pioneers within the doom metal community, and since doom metal kicks arse, I knew this was worth a spin, and I wasn't disappointed. Although this record is just barely half an hour long, and only contains 7 tracks, all of those tracks are just perfect, the song Witchfinder General is chunky, consistent and unique, R.I.P. is reminiscent of mid-70's sabbath, only with an original writing twist, and foggier production that arguably makes it heavier. This entire album is drenched in an ample medieval sound, and I can't get enough of it.

Invisible hate begins with an acoustic intro, which transforms into one of my favourite riffs of all time, and the song stays strong throughout. Most of the music on here is simple but effective, every track has a heavy, crushing riff and interesting interludes in the middle section, most of the runtime is dominated by thunderous galloping, further pushing the classic metal sound. The title track reminds me heavily of Snowblind by Black Sabbath, with a brilliant main riff and nice guitar drones in the verse, but Witchfinder General manage to keep it original despite this obvious influence, they have a signature style that is more groovy than Sabbath, although not as heavy. Burning A Sinner and Free Country are both short, but epic tracks, and once again carry that monstrous sound without sacrificing the dynamic approach of the production, which was far ahead of its time for a semi-underground British metal band. Each song has a nice steady, but progressive structure, and there are enough good riffs and fills sandwiched between the verses and choruses to keep you entertained.

The music is virtually flawless, but the main problems I have with this album are with the vocals and the lyrics. Although most of the songs have average lyrics, some are just terrible, and the lyrics in No Stayer are just laughably bad, to the point of cringing "Back at her place, she was in the mood, she sucked and licked my food, when it was running all over her face, she rolled over and then we screwed," yeah, it's not exactly up there with Rilke in terms of romantic poetry, is it? Also, my complaint about the vocals is that they're too uncontrolled, it's hard to headbang to Phil's incredible riffing when Zeeb is just letting out these awkwardly high wails, specifically during the verse of Invisible Hate. Zeeb Parkes does have a great voice, and he mainly put it to good use, but he could've left out those whiney, paper-thin screams.

The production, like I previously mentioned, is great, nothing too complex and layered. The bass is mushy but tight, and honestly it gives the mind-blowing riffs some muscle in the low-end. Graham Ditchfield is an awesome drummer, and his tone is so good, reminds me of Bill Ward's early sound but with louder cymbals, the drum sound once again perpetrates a classic, early 80's feel. I love it, and the guitars sound great too. I think it's fair to say that this album is criminally underrated, and it might even become an all-time favourite as I listen to it more over time. Definitely check it out if you haven't already, because you don't know what you're missing.

Look out for me, let's trip on LSD

I'll tell you what, if Blue Öyster Cult had just been a hair darker in their tone and bottom heavy in their delivery, they'd probably sound almost identical to Witchfinder General. For those unfamiliar with the analogy, the broken down version is that Death Penalty is a psychedelic heavy metal project with a lot of doom and gloom beneath it, as well as progressive tendencies here and there. The catch is, you've gotta zoom in the optical lens pretty far to catch all of the subtle treats pressed into this record, because without close attention, it comes off as any typical doom metal album of the time. And I guess that's where it mostly resides, but after many listens, the evil pedals of this masterpiece begin to bloom. Take this as a warning, this is anything but an album to just play in the background.

Getting the constants out of the way, dark, hazy tones and heavy riffs make up the meat and potatoes of every track. On the other hand, that doesn't mean that it's all evil and scary sounding, because amazingly some light does shine through, with the occasional major chords. Plus, the vocals on this are super clean and have no sharp edges to them, keeping it from being too devious. For the most part, the songs start out very heavy with buzzy riffs, (see the beginning of "Witchfinder General"), but then they lighten up as you get closer to the chorus. To push them through, masterful solos and dual guitar layers break everything up and keep serving the music in more sizable portions. Again, all of this seems pretty typical of doom metal from the early eighties, and mind you, this doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Where the fun comes in is within the added toppings.

Much like the aforementioned Blue Öyster Cult, psychedelic elements are sewn in, and that's not just because of some of the drug ridden-lyrics (although this does add to it). Quick guitar strums with a staccato click played in a slower tempo yet soaring melodies are what make it give this vibe. Admittedly, the atmosphere helps this out a lot too. Hell, even the chant style of some choruses like in "Burning Sinner" gear things this direction. No ballads are present, but the occasional acoustic section will seldom make its way into the mix. Often times, there are awkward chord progressions and shifts in tone, such as in the album opener "Invisible Hate", which emits waves of prog, but again, this isn't something that really jumps out by any means. Finally, the ability to also pull off faster tracks is rather stellar, especially with the rhythms in "Free Country". So stay focused kids, you can find all of these things within the confines of this disc.

The fact that this album barely reaches a half hour in length yet has that much to absorb is what makes it so great. As if all of the creativity wasn't enough, this also prevents Death Penalty from going stale. More cowbell anyone? If my ears don't deceive me, I think there's some in the final cut on this beast. Recommended to fans of Black Sabbath, St. Vitus, Blue Öyster Cult, and any other doom or psychedelic driven bands with a spook-tastic aura.

As my title implies, Witchfinder General bases their sound and lyrical content heavily on what Black Sabbath did, even going as far as to name themselves after a horror film like Black Sabbath did. While many of their other NWOBHM counterparts like Girlschool, Iron Maiden, and Venom were more interested in playing fast and taking things up a notch, Witchfinder General were keeping in tradition with early heavy metal by playing slow, ominous, horror movie inspired music.

While the music here does sound similar to Black Sabbath, Witchfinder General does tweak their sound a bit as to not sound like a complete clone of Black Sabbath. The lack of blues in their music for instance, as well as the more complex guitar solos that tend to be faster than the usual tempos of the riffs themselves, a perfect example being the solo in "Burning A Sinner". The singer Zeeb, while being a decent singer, sometimes loses a bit of control of his voice when trying to sing in a higher pitch. This is very noticeable in the song "Invisible Hate" when he tries to hit a high note and his voice cracks. The musicians here are all very competent, and keep things very tight. The music here is also heavier than that of most other NWOBHM bands, with the possible exception of Venom. The overall production is pretty clean, nothing very raw. The album art is also rather amusing, watching the band trying to mercilessly stab a topless witch in a cemetery.

While never achieving the success or notoriety of NWOBHM superstars Iron Maiden and Def Leppard, Witchfinder General have nonetheless gained a rather large cult following over the years, and remain underground legends in the heavy metal scene. If you are interested at all in the NWOBHM movement, the roots of doom metal, or just enjoy good old fashioned heavy metal, then I just cannot recommend this album enough. You will not at all be disappointed.

Witchfinder General was one of the more fascinating bands in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal Movement. Despite having a short run that offered very little success, the two albums released in their early 80s heyday showcased a unique sound that proved to be incredibly influential in the development of the doom metal subgenre. 1982’s Death Penalty makes for a fascinating debut as it shows how they were deserving of their accolades despite sounding like what would happen if the guys from Wayne’s World ever tried their hands at Sabbath worship…

For starters, the band members’ inexperience is made glaringly obvious throughout the album. Phil Cope’s guitar playing may be competent but the production job makes the drums sound like cardboard, the bass is only heard on rare spots, and the vocals are an acquired taste at their best. While Zeeb Parkes has a decent voice that recalls a cross between Ozzy and Diamond Head’s Sean Harris, he lacks charisma and even basic technique at times with “Invisible Hate” suffering the most due to some horribly executed voice cracks.

The lyrics are also worth noting, as they seem to follow Venom’s old school example of sex, drugs, and the Devil. Of course, many of the early 80s bands executed these now dated themes with a pronounced sense of menace or camp, but Witchfinder General’s method is much more vapid. The occult themes on songs like “Burning A Sinner” and “R.I.P.” are close to their Hammer Film aspirations but they lack the foreboding sense that made Sabbath’s horror themes so inspiring. In addition, “Free Country” is a rather lame drug anthem and “No Stayer” has some of the worst lyrics ever written.

But with that said, almost all of these faults are redeemed by the facts that Parkes and Cope happened to be a pretty good songwriting team. Even with their dumb lyrics, “Free Country” and “No Stayer” are actually among the best songs on here as the former rides some punk influence and the latter offers an equally upbeat introduction before going into some fun hard rock riffs. The album’s last three songs will also be of particular interest to traditional doom fans with “R.I.P.” offering some catchy vocal lines and “Burning A Sinner” matching a groovy main riff with the most jovial chorus ever written about a woman burning at the stake.

Some people always claim that a given band never rose above an obscure status due to record company politics or what have you, but there is often another very visible reason for why that band never caught on. Much like Anvil, Witchfinder General was a band worth praising on the basis of their influence but could never be a household name due to their rather boneheaded approach. Death Penalty offers some well-written proto-doom for fans of the genre and some unintentional comedy for everyone else. I would recommend a Saint Vitus or Pentagram album before it, but it’s a purchase that’s pretty hard to regret either way.

Current Highlights:
“Free Country”
“No Stayer”
“Burning A Sinner”
“R.I.P.”

Originally published at http://psychicshorts.blogspot.com

What we have here is simply reasonable early 80s metal, neither outstanding nor terrible. It follows the template of Black Sabbath’s proto-doom style but it lacks the same degree of class and presentation. What comes out is alright if this is what you’re after, but other bands do it better, and it’s held back by some abysmal lyrics and sub-par vocals.

Honestly, “I want a woman 'cos it's a Saturday night, I wanna make her feel alright, I'm going to lay her, do you know what I mean, I really wanna make her scream”? This sort of thing would make Motley Crue wince. It just comes out sounding silly, especially in this particular style, and a comparison between Black Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf” and Witchfinder’s “Free Country” is a fine illustration of how drug references should and should not be included in heavy metal music. The album cover famously features model Joanne Latham topless, and after listening to the lyrics I’m less inclined to think of it as pushing boundaries or paying homage to classic horror movies, and more like the lads thinking it would be cool to have boobies on their album cover.

The vocals need work too. It’s archetypal imitation of Ozzy by someone who just doesn’t have the same range, coming off sounding more whiney and amateurish than eerie and haunting. Of course, many NWOBHM vocalists lacked technical ability, but they had enough charm to pull it off. Zeeb’s croons aren’t atrocious, but they won’t get the blood running much either.

Anyway, Zeeb aside things are a fair bit more enjoyable. There are some good riffs here, even if not any outright brilliant ones, and in instrumental terms the songs are enjoyable enough, picking up more or less where Sabbath left off after Ozzy's departure. The guitars have that infectious blues layer to them, and even if they aren’t as memorable as others of the era, they still manage to turn out some good relentless, pounding (early) doom. Songs like Invisible Hate and Witchfinder General are perfectly good early metal tunes, good enough to overcome the band’s shortcomings and get anyone banging along.

Death Penalty shows definite promise in some areas, but the vocals need more identity and a thicker tone. In order to really achieve anything, Witchfinder would need to stop straddling a line between doom metal and hard rock and pick a side, the mix of the two here simply doesn’t work. As influential as the NWOBHM was, it’s a fallacy to think that everything that came out then was a classic. Bands like Pentagram and Witchfynde were doing this better with a more refined and well-crafted sound. As it is, Death Penalty is only really worth it for a real NWOBHM/early doom enthusiast.

I like a good beer. But sometimes I will get a craving for a six-pack of good old fashioned (but classic) brand of the cheap stuff. Schlitz, Old Style, Iron City Beer, Pabst Blue Ribbon, you name it. And that was exactly how I am reminded when it comes to this 1982 NWOBHM release of Death Penalty by Witchfinder General: It's nothing you'd serve up to impress good company, it sure is frothy but in no way would you deem it a guilty pleasure in a casual setting. I'm serious, I just about reach for the pretzels every time I put this sucker on. And the album is pretty damn salty itself because yes folks, it is influential. The album earns it's NWOBHM filling status but if you're in the mood for traditional doom metal, you've definitely picked the right record here too and that's the major appeal for me here.

Now, pay real close attention here to this part because this is actually so simple that it's easy to be confused by it because it is so simple. Not to make a science out of it but with Death Penalty, Witchfinder General performs a little juke move. It's simple but it's a crucial element in defining heavy/stoner/doom metal for bands later on. It's what I call the "button hook" play. It's a parallel term derived from the most simple American football route that is taught at the Pop Warner level. It goes like this: Witchfinder General is an English band who takes influence from a much, much bigger English band who is obviously Black Sabbath BUT they don't run a straight pattern with that doom metal influence! Nope, they'll take a set amount of steps before they turn around and take a more immediate likeness in sound from an American doom metal band called Pentagram and THEN run with the Black Sabbath-y sound straight away. It's shoot and run. Shoot and run. Just remember that because you will notice how later bands like Saint Vitus or Trouble took notice from this and colored the palette of the for doom/stoner. That those bands were American and solidified doom as a subgenre makes this most interesting.

As for the songs on Death Penalty, they aren't always pretty. The album is quite ramshackle but it's lovable that way. And believe you me, that's no small task. The first song for example is Invisible Hate. Most of the rest of the songs after this are very text book traditional doom but this song trips up quite humorously as it has riffs,a vocal delivery and a solo that make it sound like Peter Frampton doing doom metal. It's so bad, it's good. I am fond of this very catchy track! My point is, that what this album lacks in musical quality, it makes up for with character.

Where the NWOBHM fusion with early Sabbath comes in is the speed of the riffs and their attack style but also because the vocalist. He sounds overall like Pentagram's singer but on a couple songs he'll switch his melody style to that of a budget rate Stained Class-era Rob Halford and at other times a knock-off Robert Plant. But mostly check out the song No Stayer if you want to hear the song that best sounds prototypical of NWOBHM fused with the old Black Sabbath sound.

When this Witchfinder General album came out, Ozzy's Blizzard of Ozz had already charted great success as a semi-shred heavy metal band and his ex-mates in Black Sabbath had reworked their heavy sound too with a new singer. There was still a demand for the old Sabbath sound and Witchfinder General filled that niche. It's likeably cheap in quality but British and doomy and gloomy. Thank goodness for that because true doom these days must have an almost rag tag quality to it. Get this album if you like antiques. The value has gone up since.

Witchfinder General is a prime example of classic Sabbatarian Heavy Metal. The writing team of Phil Cope and Zeeb Parkes is a unique one which manages to combine the classic sound of early Black Sabbath with the then modern Punk Rock - and in no way is this band a mere Black Sabbath clone which should be overlooked, it is full of the speed and aggressiveness most bands during the NWOBHM were famous for, but manages to do so without abandoning the Sabbath influence.


Now, for the album in general. Invisible Hate is a exceptional song with some great riffs thrown into it. I personally enjoyed the many time changes, as well as the sudden transfer from a soft acoustic beginning to a thundering, headbanging masterpiece. The lyrics are laughable at times, but Zeeb gives a spectacular vocal performance complete with some haunting squeeks - the chorus is one which is very catchy and will stick with a listener. Free Country is another success, with another catchy line "Look out for meeeeeee, trip on LSD, look out for meeeee, DS look out for me!" which will have you singing along every time. Copes riff is amazing as usual, with a brilliantly exected solo section. Death Penalty, with its Aqualung like guitar riff in my opinion could have easily been a Sabbath B side, with the ending portion borrowing a similar progression to the "Everyday Comes and Goes" portion of the song from Sabbath. No Stayer begins with a Rat Salad type Jam, but then shifts into a Rock N' Roll Doctor type riff with Zeeb singing about a one night stand, and although the lyrics are cheesy, its a classic rocker which simply cannot be hated. They are obvious sabbath lovers, but not many would like to believe that they also appreciated Technical Ecstacy as shown in No Stayer and later with "I Lost You" on Friends of Hell (Obvious nod to "Shes Gone")


Next we approach side two. Witchfinder General, perhaps the strongest song on a album full of gems comes on. Tony Iommi himself would drool over these riffs, and with the awesome chorus (Cos' Im the Witchfinder General!) this should have been a Heavy Metal timeless classic. Burning a Sinner, which was previously recorded as a single, reappears again on this album, only this second take, things are much better. Some bits of the drumming even remind me a bit of Bill Ward on Johnny Blade. Finally, we reach another song from a different earlier release, R.I.P. I wish they would have kept the intro slower like in the Soviet Invasion version, but other then that this one has some nice haunting lyrics with Zeeb singing in full form here.


Overall this album is a gem, a great album to headbang and sing along to. They are also very fun songs to play on guitar. Some low points however: The album only has 7 songs. Wheres the 8th? The drumming is mostly robotic and forgetable, while the bass is hardly heard (Woolfy Trope was a pseudonym for Phil Cope, he plays the bass track). Overall however, this is a great album and really in my opinion is not a album limited to the NWOBHM collector or anything. It should be a common album that everybody owns! Its about as strong as Paranoid or Heaven and Hell by Sabbath! However, it does have points where it does seem like it was rushed and if the drumming and bass were better this would be better.

The Chronicles Of Doom: Part II.

Witchfinder General were one of the many doom metal bands promoting the scene during it’s formation. Influenced by another stand out genre of the decade, heavy metal, the British band took a lot of influence from another British act, particularly in terms of vocal expression, that band being the legendary Black Sabbath, fronted by Ozzy Osbourne. The honest truth is that my experience with traditional doom, especially in terms of the bands that began to take shape in the 1980’s, is underdeveloped. I consider myself a knowledgeable person when it comes to regular doom, and various sub-genres of it, but traditional doom metal went over my head. For a long time I was put off by the sound of the older generations. It was almost as if the 80’s intimidated me as I grew up in the 90’s and that is where most of my musical memories come from, bar the beginning of the 21st century. The 80’s was an exciting period for the development of metal, in general. It saw numerous bands gain notoriety and develop the stature of bands who were well known outside metal, ‘the devils music’. Bands like Witchfinder General are important to the genre, even today. It is imperative for fans of the doom genre to explore the roots of the scene and to me, especially the British side of it with it’s powerhouse acts like Witchfinder General. In terms of making comparisons to fellow British bands like Black Sabbath, I’m limited in how far I can go with those comparisons because, as I said, my knowledge of older generation acts is limited. I’ve only just begun to take an interest in traditional doom, so give it time. ‘Death Penalty’, a 1982 release, is a powerful introduction to the old school style that Witchfinder General so coolly bring to the genres set up. The style of yesteryear took me a while to get into, but now that I’m there, records like ’Death Penalty’ have me air guitaring and head banging like everyone else.

Lets get the comparisons out of the way. Legendary band Black Sabbath were a shining light in the early days of the doom/heavy metal crossover and much of that is due to the stage presence and sound of vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. I have heard his vocals before, albeit only briefly, and one can say there are similarities between Zeeb Parkes and the Black Sabbath leading man. Without spending too much time on comparisons, Zeeb Parkes’ vocals are enchanting. His vocals are one of the main positives to come out of this record. The relationship between Zeeb and Phil Cope, who is in control of the guitars on this record, is powerfully emitted through a number of catchy riffs and devastatingly groovy solos, which are finely highlighted in songs like ‘Invisible Hate’ and the self-titled track, ‘Death Penalty’. Whilst I don’t consider the lyrics to be anything more than fun, they should be highlighted in songs such as ‘Invisible Hate’. The groove infested guitars and the intoxicating vocals entwine to establish a powerfully emotive driven sound, which evokes the happiest of images and the best of times, namely, beer fests. The lyrics in the aforementioned song is, in particular, brilliant at creating an upbeat sound which is also brought to the surface by the wonderful skills of Phil Cope on guitars and the percussion section, which also drives forward the catchy creations of Witchfinder General.

“I've fought my hate now here comes joy
How I fought it I don't know oh boy
Some say God, some say faith
I say sex, drugs, rock and beer
My beer.”

The repetition in both the lyrics with, “My beer”, which conjures an ever-so-jolly mood and the repetition of certain guitar riffs reinforces the dominating upbeat sound, which is also emphasised by the incredible vocals. The snappy snares and the crashing cymbals also indicate to the audience a jovial shift in mood. The intricate changes in textures and tones allows Witchfinder General to showcase their talents in the best of their abilities which, again, is best displayed in songs like ‘Death Penalty‘ when the tempo significantly alters to a slower pace, which allows the percussion to really enforce itself. In terms of disappointing aspects to ‘Death Penalty’, the bass doesn’t back up the jovial mood which runs alongside the songs that well. The clear production, which gives precedence to the vocals, doesn’t detract from the work of the bass, it’s always present and there is no problem making it out, but it’s more powerful in some songs than others, ‘No Stayer’ for example, brings out the best in the bass as it begins to run the show. Unfortunately, when it does, the rest of the music suffers. While songs like ‘No Stayer’ give the bass a more important role, the song, overall, isn’t as good as previous ones. I find that, as the record progresses, the stand out songs begin to fade, which was disappointing. Other than those minor points, the only other point that concerned me with this record is it’s length. It’s a short album and I tend to favour longer records. Despite this, ‘Death Penalty’ is a pivotal record in understanding the origins of doom metal. To most, this is a classic which will never die.

While the majority of the NWOBHM bands were playing fast and hard, Witchfinder General, a little english metal band, went in a different direction. Their adoration for Black Sabbath is perfectly clear: the songs are relatively slow, filled with some catchy riffs that would make Tony Iommi proud. In fact, the whole record sounds pretty much like a mix of the song structures of the tracks on “Paranoid” with the guitar and drum work of “Heaven and Hell”. The result is a good and very enjoyable album, although not a masterpiece.

The vocals are very bizarre and strange. The singer sounds like a mix of Ozzy Osbourne with Joey Ramone, he really really has a strange voice. Fortunately it fits relatively well with the music. The drum work is pretty generic too: the majority of the beats are very unoriginal and simple. The bass is nearly inaudible during most of the times. The guitar work is pretty good though: there are lots of great riffs on the album and the songs are all very guitar-based. There's also a use of acoustic guitar here and there; the acoustic little section on the end of the title track is a clear example.

As for the songs, they are all pretty somber; the atmosphere of the album is pretty dark, although the lyrics are all very very weak. They are, indeed, one of the low points of “Death Penalty”. The lyrical themes are mostly witches (look to the name of the band!), aaaah, not exactly witches, more like “burning witches”, that's right. “Free Country” may be the worst song in the lyrical department; the lyrics of this tune speak about drugs, in a very *clever* way (“Look after me/let's trip on LSD!”). About the choruses, all of them are relatively catchy, which is obviously a plus.

Highlights? The opener is one of the best tracks of the bunch, great great main riff. The structure of the track also reminds me a bit of what Black Sabbath did on “Paranoid”. The drumming reminds of Vinnie Appice. “Free Country” could well be an unreleased track recorded during the “Heaven and Hell”, its vibe sort of reminds me of “Neon Knights”. Although the lyrics are weak, the chorus is very very catchy. The title track is another fine song, great acoustic section near the end. “Witchfinder General” is another great one, another good chorus (“'Cause I'm the witch... finder generaaaal!!”). “Burning Sinner” probably is my personal favourite out of this album, though, great atmosphere, with the dark lyrics fitting very well with the music. “No Stayer” is a bit on the weak side, the same thing going for “R.I.P.”, which is a forgettable tune.

Also constantly regarded as one of the responsibles for the creation of the doom movement, Witchfinder General's debut is, indeed, a very enjoyable album, full of great riffs. If you like Sabbath you'll like this band, that's for sure. Also recommended if you enjoy doom metal or the NWOBHM movement.

Best Moments of the CD:
-the clean guitar part on the title track.

"How many victims unlawfully killed upon the earth, homicidal killers, can you tell me what they're worth..."

Witchfinder General's Death Penalty is not only the peak of their career, but also a landmark in Heavy Metal in general. For those who are unfamiliar with the band, their sound is alike to what Black Sabbath would've sounded like if they rode in on the NWOBHM movement. There are often times when the song sounds almost identical to something Sabbath would've written, for example the beginning solo of 'No Stayer'. While their previous EP showed what the band were capable of, 'Death Penalty' takes all the good things that were present on 'Soviet Invasion' and makes them better.

The first thing the listener notices about the album is the increased pace that they are playing at. While not being exactly fast paced, Witchfinder General sped up the tempos to a moderate pace as opposed to the slower tempos on 'Soviet Invasion'. There is a much bigger NWOBHM influence which is seen in nearly all of the riffs, which are more melodic and reminiscent of the movement than the previous release. This is not to say, however, that they aren't as heavy, as there is still an abundance of extremely heavy riffs which pummel the listener into the ground. It is easy to see how future Doom acts were influenced by Witchfinder General, as their style of playing sort of 'predicts' future bands such as Candlemass and Pentagram. One of the best things about Witchfinder General was their soaring, NWOBHM influenced soloing, and 'Death Penalty' is full of them, the first track 'Invisible Hate' probably having the best one on here, which is both technical and emotional at the same time. The production is excellent considering the time at which it came out, and all the instruments are heard clearly, except for the bass, which is a little buried in the mix.

The band sound energetic and lively, with the vocalist occasionally sounding like Ozzy Osbourne's performance on 'Paranoid'. The guitarist is excellent and, as said previously, pulls of some excellent solos while the drummer is above average. The bass is a bit hard to hear, and as a result more concentration is required to make out the basslines, which are still pretty good.

If there is a bad point to be found (which is pretty hard) it is that in some parts of a song it can sound a little uninspired or bland. These moments are far and few between, but it still prevents the album from getting a higher score. This is only a small complaint though, and as it stands this album is a true classic of both NWOBHM, Doom Metal and just Heavy Metal in general. Although the follow up is still a classic in it's own right, it is just slightly worse than this album, which is the peak of their career and a highly influential album.

Along with Black Sabbath, and a few others, Witchfinder General is my favorite band ever, even if they didn’t release a great deal of music.

Witchfinder General has a lot in common with Black Sabbath and the old time doom sound. I put high emphasis on this similarity for potential listeners. What sets Witchfinder General apart from Black Sabbath is mostly to do to the vocals, but also, Iommi had a lot more distortion and effects in his playing.

Also, the production on classic Black Sabbath’s records was pretty much crystal clear while on Witchfinder General’s the production here is not quite as crystal clear. Another difference would be that the majority of Witchfinder General songs usually have a faster (consistently faster, is perhaps more accurate) tempo than classic era Sabbath, in other words, where much of the NWOBHM influence comes into play.

Witchfinder General's lyrical themes consist primarily of drugs, sex, living. the song, "Free Country" is an absolute masterpiece and one of my favourite songs. The song is up there along with all of the classic Black Sabbath songs.

Another issue which should be cleared up is that Witchfinder General aren’t a satanic band. They use the imagery and all that, but if you look closely at the lyrics you will realize that they’re not. They’re just fantastic atheist doomers and their philosophy is for the most, hedonistic, though I wouldn't say in a vapid, meaningless sense.

Both "Death Penalty" and "Friends Of Hell" are classic heavy metal albums, and to say one is better the other is really just a false dilemma as they are both on the same level in terms of quality. Both are definitely worth the money and are deserving of the highest possible score that I can give them.

By looking at the cover of this album, you might be fooled into thinking that any band that descends to showing a woman's tits on an album cover is doing so because that's all they've really got going for them. Not in this case - for Witchfinder General, it's a perfect extension of the music. Witchfinder General were one of the many bands of the NWOBHM scene, but their style was closer to Black Sabbath, in a psychedelic stoner-rock-metal kind of way - the band glorified mindless sex and drug use to the point of self-destructive nihilism, and occasionally threw in an 'evil' song for good measure (musically, think of mid-era Trouble and you'll be close). The rhythm section of Woolfy Trope (bass) and Graham Ditchfield (drums) laid a good foundation for guitarist Phil Cope's excellent Iommi-inspired riffing, but Cope's much more adept and energetic soloing added a bit more of a modern flair to the Sabbath-esque sound. The most unique facet of the band, though, was frontman Zeeb Parkes' vocals - he uses some combination of nasal whine and indistinct mumbling that actually comes off quite a bit better than that description - truly unique, and something that must be heard to be understood.

The whole album is great, but particular standouts are the opener "Invisible Hate" (an ode to 'sex, drugs, rock, and beer'), the tale of satanic grave-robbing in "RIP", and "No Stayer" - a modernized-rip-off of Rat Salad that morphs into a hymn to the one-night stand, complete with a straight, pounding rhythm and tacky double-entendre lyrics. Despite the album's age, it has stood the test of time very well, and it was reissued on CD in the not-too-distant past, so get one before they go away again.

(Originally published at LARM (c) 1999)