Friends of Hell

Witchfinder General, like Pentagram, is one of those rare, once-underground sleeper bands which, following decades of wistful wrist merchant reverence, were finally recognized as iconic pioneers in respective, doomily rocking spheres. Though short-lived, if one were to focus solely on British quartet's early daze, its long lauded heyday consists of pair of sleazily occultic records, 1982's Death Penalty and 1983's Friends Of Hell, the killer opener of which, "Love On Smack", still dominates my mind as first choice for potential coverage, were I to dreamily front my own tribute band (accompanying bronze effigy from a nearby forum).

It's so wicked that I struggle to find words for its all-out intensity, to point where it makes further tracks pale in comparison, despite most adhering to WG's tried and true playbook. This is why, for longest time, I considered Death Penalty superior, if not more cohesive and well structured. Upon close scrutiny, both albums are on an even keel. Except for lame, yet thankfully brief ballad "I Lost You", Zeeb's vocals sound more confident and solid. Plus, the inclusion of bassist Rod Hawks brings forth a new dimension in the form of actively plump bass lines, which were barely discernable on Death Penalty.

To reiterate, "Love On Smack" (a technical improbability) erupts with a bang as the highly hum-able main riff rushes through the brainpan as said now fully fentanylized narcotic through a doomed addict's veins, providing a sonic endorphin blast from the past. Zeeb's passionate delivery is on another level during the chorus. The sticky slowdown riff following the second verse is equally compelling, whilst both powerful guitar/bass solo sections elevate an already kick-ass track to even higher, albeit non-galloping plains. In essence, "Smack Love" is infinitely replayable, not to mention Witchfinder General's top discography highlight, surpassing even its riff roar of a namesake and austere cemetery sentinel, "R.I.P".

Although Phil Cope's bluesily psychotic leads steal the show, Graham Ditchfield's funky, slap tapped skins imbue "Last Chance" and "Quietus/Reprise" with good ole fashioned Bill Ward-ish jam-y-ness, as the album as a whole winds down to the laid back, jostling sound of half minute "Reprise", a funky bow-out which evokes Black Sabb's Never Say Die. For its poppy part, the intro to "Music" throws a metaphorical slider due to its stocky synth bop which somehow makes me think of "Trainspotting", that junkie glorifying flick from 1996. Soon enough, the swarthy gang's melodic instrumental frenzy prevails before "Friends Of Hell" gather for a devilish shindig reminiscent of the vocally shaky "Invisible Hate". Alongside the tongue twisting opener, the title track, with its bass laden, Heaven And Hellish midpoint break, is up there in terms of pure, unbridled Witchfinder Generality.

Rod Hawkes' colorfully jangling lines further reap unholy harvest on "Requiem For Youth", whilst Phil's diabolic trills continue to subjugate. (This time, it's 2000's rather disturbing "Requiem For A Dream" which makes a mind cameo). Then, the break beat stomped "Shadowed Images" features more of his uncannily Tony Iommi reminiscent starts and stops - think of the crossed twelfth bar riff from "N.I.B." for a shadowy picture. Unfortunately, the tepid and sad "I Lost You" pollutes the riff raff-y atmosphere with its simplistic acoustic guitar progression beneath Zeeb's awkward and cringey lamentations. In truth, this hard-to-listen-to lapse, unlike harmlessly novel "Music", should've been scrapped.

Despite rising from the graveyard in 2008 with late-to-party full-length number three in Resurrected (an apt retort to Angel Witch's Dead Sea Scrolls), it's best to celebrate and remember Witchfinder General for its early 1980's honeymoon phase, which also includes the Soviet Invasion! EP from 1982, worth a gander for "Rabies", a memorably eerie cut which fits snugly within Death Penalty. All I can say by now is how happy I am to have taken these mandatory potshots after so long.

Here's one of those sophomore albums that's heavily overshadowed by its predecessor, typically being brought up in sequence when Witchfinder General's original run is the topic at hand, but not always. Traditional doom metal historians will give nods to Friends of Hell, but generally bring up its individual cuts less than Death Penalty's best songs, while the New Wave of British Heavy Metal explorer tends to overlook it entirely, just remembering the debut as the landmark for "NWOBHM that's also doom." However, these Southbridge lads, renowned for their cleavage-photographing sensibilities, were doing something a little more uniquely their own in the songwriting deparment on their second album, something I would've liked to see grow into a more full-fledged form. I suppose it did eventually, even if not from the General themselves, because Friends of Hell did have an observable impact on future doom metal bands (I'd argue Cathedral's Gaz Jennings is Phil Cope of WfG's greatest disciple), and this merit speaks louder than the criticisms of this album I sometimes hear, about it making failed attempts at commerciality.

Now, in being an influential doom/heavy metal album unto itself, Friends of Hell is interestingly just slightly less Sabbath-y than was Death Penalty, but it's due to them having grown as musicians (becoming a four-piece) since the debut, feeling more free to deviate from the groundwork laid by their heroes. Phil, possibly in part due to no longer having to record bass as well, has become somewhat more focused with his guitar work, his hooks often feeling both punchier and more melodic. Meanwhile, Zeeb (fortunately) still sounds retarded, but he does manage to sing "through" the riffs a little more this time around, rather than ride solely on them. Enhancing the musical chemistry in these ways means that I'm not so sure the more commercial sounding material like "Music" on Friends of Hell was really misplaced at all. If anything, the band have become more efficient as songwriters, more effective with the catchiness they strived for from the beginning - the General have kind of been vindicated as trad doom's fuckboys after all, so why knock them for making things a little more accessible? It's not annoying or anything, at its worst it's just lovably, hilariously bad like they're known for, "I Lost You" being the prime example.

At any rate, most of FoH is top-shelf doom/heavy metal with a distinctive touch that you can tell Phil had been cooking up as he improved his guitar skills. As mentioned, he's doing more on a riff-for-riff basis, not relying on strumming arpeggios as much as he did during the verses of the Death Penalty title track or the chorus of "Burning a Sinner" (however badass of a doom metal standard that may be). Instead, he hits us hard with a simple three-power-chord phrase during the chorus of "Love on Smack", and offers up some more elegant-sounding pull-offs in the title track and "Shadowed Images" - both doom cuts that don't have much of a menacing presence to them at all, yet still consist of techniques that ought to always define the subgenre. On the other hand, "Quietus" is a significantly more intimidating song, as the unsettling intro followed by the lurching main riff perfectly suit the lyrics about being relentlessly hunted by one's former captor.

Actually, I admire the riff-writing formula used in the latter section of this song very much - it pinpoints a defining charicteristic heard in some of traditional doom's faster-paced riffs, and is a hidden intricacy of a style thought to be fairly straightforward. Notice how that driving rhythm, that "phrase", is repeated a few times to form the "body" of the riff, and then the variation that completes one "repitition" of the "full" riff just sort of "retraces" the overall progression, but this time, it "stomps" those chords down to sound heavier, more "jarring" (often, doom bands will do this a few steps lower than before as well). It's one of those ideas that you just know originated from jamming things out, finding out how you want the music to feel, rather than writing from a strictly technical standpoint. It also lends to memorable riffcraft due to the fact that each time that "jarring" phrase is repeated, the riff is broken up a little more per "rep", hence the next variation is subconsciously anticipated by the listener just seconds later. "Last Chance", then, has something similar going on when it picks up, but instead goes higher with its variation, a melodic departure from the heavier rhythms, which is one reason it's a hell of a lot of fun.

Matter of fact, Friends of Hell is an extremely fun doom classic by all accounts, and although Death Penalty is still the defining Witchfinder General record to me, one could easily turn in favor of the arguably smoother songwriting to be found here. I honestly don't remember the reason they broke up in 1984, but in having heard their two 80's full-lengths so many times, I can say that a third album from the same era would very likely have been plentiful in great ideas, and perhaps would have elevated Phil Cope to a more esteemed status in the realm of classic metal guitarists. I wonder, with the Black Sabbath training wheels starting to come off, would their doominess have waned going forward? Or perhaps it would have further increased, considering it was integral to their development anyhow? All this before they'd even been rediscovered and vindicated as early doom metal pioneers in the online era as well, mind you. As it stands, however, the General's sophomore album is a worthy companion to its lauded older brother, still continuing in a similar enough vein to make for one of doom's finest album duos.

“Friends of Hell” is the sophomore release by the short lived but newly resurrected Witchfinder General. This album reeks of killer riffs and solos that will have you humming for weeks. Witchfinder General offered a “balls to the wall” approach to heavy metal at the time – glorifying drug use, sex, and the occult shamelessly, also taking what Black Sabbath begun and making it catchier than ever!

This is a slight improvement compared to the timeless “Death Penalty” although other reviews might state the opposite. The composition has more direction compared to their previous release where it seemed they were more or less growing into their style. Phil Cope’s guitar playing is more solid, knowledgeable, and professional showing his improvement as a musician and as a songwriter. No longer are the solos put on the backburner, instead they are more declarative and in the front of the mix. Zeeb Parkes, while sounding too much like Ozzy Osbourne at times, shows his improvements by offering more harmonies, general direction, and standing apart from the guitar work as his own separate entity.

One poor attribute about this release (but not completely detrimental to the album as a whole) is the single “Music”. Witchfinder General were obviously using this piece as a tool to attract a wider audience but this song fumes with clichés and overall cheesiness that would be expected from a song like “Turn Up the Radio” by Autograph. From the lame metaphors about music being Parkes’ wife right down to the repetitive chorus layered with a tin sounding synthesizer voice, this weak song utterly sucks. While the lyrics of “I Lost You” mildly stink of over-emotion, they are accompanied nicely by Cope’s acoustic guitar which gives the track a nice complimentary feel to the rest of the album; this track is harmless.

“Friends of Hell” is an essential pickup for doom and traditional heavy metal fans. “Love on Smack” and “Friends of Hell” are just two of the many noteworthy tracks on this release where the solos and guitar work (dueled nicely with Parkes’ vocals) will kick your ass from beginning to end.

Witchfinder General is an absolutely great traditional doom metal band. Along with Saint Vitus, they define 80s doom metal, setting the bar pretty high. However, I don't think this album quite measures up to their debut. It's got a lot of the same great qualities, but a few songs don't work for me. It lacks the full-on badassness of the first album. Not to say that this is a poor release, because it's still got Witchfinder General's signature sound and delivers some great traditional doom/heavy metal.

My main qualms arise with the songs "Music" and "I Lost You". Music sounds like a hair metal song. It's got the bass and drums only verses with the sing-along choruses, and ultimately it's a cheesy and lame song. "I Lost You" stinks equally of hair metal, but even worse it's a ballad. They shouldn't have to sink to this level. Death Penalty was all balls and all hardass songs.

Now for the good qualities. Like I mentioned, it's still got Witchfinder General's sound. The sound production and style are unchanged. Even the album cover follows the same idea. Most of the songs are very good trad doom/heavy metal kinda stuff. It's mid-paced, heavy, doomy at the right parts, and it has some badass vocals. The chorus in "Love on Smack" reminds me of the "Burn her, burn her, burn her to the ground" from "Burning a Sinner" off the previous album.

Witchfinder General's sound is a particularly great one. The guitar tone is dull and low-fi, the riffs are heavy metal with that traditional doom heaviness that makes them all the better, and they have that rock n roll feeling like you wanna get drunk and party to them. Death Penalty embodies all these qualities, while Friends of Hell comes close and just doesn't quite make it.

'Friends of Hell', the second and final release of Witchfinder General, can be seen as a continuation of the previous LP. The same things which were present on 'Death Penalty' feature here, but whilst improving on a few things it also takes a small step back.

The reason for this is that at times the record can get a little repetitive and a bit overlong at times, which thankfully is only consistently seen in the song 'Music', and scattered around in a few other songs. While on the previous record the riffs managed to stay fresh for the whole duration of the songs, they tend to get a little 'stale' towards the end in 'Music', which is not helped by the fact that the vocal lines are repeated one too many times. Another gripe I have with it is that the riffs in general aren't as good quality as they are on 'Death Penalty'. While it would've been pretty damn hard to top the ones seen on that record, it still detracts from the overall music and prevents it from being as good as 'Death Penalty'.

With all that said though, this record still remains excellent in it's own right. The soloing is as strong as ever and in some cases has improved, and the first track ('Love on Smack') is the best song Witchfinder General ever did. The riffs remain a perfect blend of Doom and NWOBHM (even if they are not as good as on 'Death Penalty) and can still pummel the listener into the ground. The production is great for the period it was released, and this time the bass is more audible. The vocalist remains as good as he previously was, and the drummer shows signs of improvement.

In conclusion, this is a great release, it's just the few issues that really drag it down. If it weren't for the song 'Music' and the problems that go with it, 'Friends of Hell' would be as good if not better than 'Death Penalty'. As with all Witchfinder General's releases, a highly recommended piece of heavy music.

“Friends Of Hell”, Witchfinder General's 2nd and unfortunately last full length album, was nevertheless a great finish to a truly great band.

The album starts off with "Love On Smack", which recreates the dialogue between Zeeb and some chick who is undoubtedly ODing. "Music", is a strong trakc.. Definitely a song that would have brought them quite a bit of attention if it were released to a wider audience.

Following "Music" is the title track, "Friends Of Hell", which is Witchfinder General's most epic song, taking you through a sonic journey until the ultimate climax, which is to say the least, utterly brilliant. It’s here where you can see that the song writing has grown a bit, and the songs have become a bit more complex while still being just as potent as they were in the beginning.

My other favourite moments of this album are the end lead on Quietus Reprise, and Shadowed Images. Shadowed Images is a consistently slow song, but it is very well orchestrated and it’s definitely grown to be one of my favourite Witchfinder songs. And the lead at the end of Quietus Reprise is just the perfect way to end the album. It’s nothing incredibly technical, but it thoroughly exemplifies great harmony, and I think that overall, "Friends Of Hell" is not only a pinnacle in Witchfinder General's career, but a great pinnacle in heavy metal as a whole, standing high above most others that amount mostly to hills. Very few other bands have had such a great demeanor and the musical capabilities to back it.

Witchfinder General's second album "Friends of Hell" musically and stylistically picked up right about where the first album "Death Penalty" left off - Sabbath-inspired psychedelic stoner-doom metal that's actually fairly upbeat and energetic. However, I think "Friends of Hell" shows more musical growth. The only lineup change from the first album is the replacement of bassist Woolfy Trope with Rod Hawkes, whose more adept basswork also helps the band get out of the 'Sabbath' rut. Graham Ditchfield's drumming, Phil Cope's great riffs and quick leads, and Zeeb Parkes' unique 'nasal whine' vocals are all still present. However, the Sabbath flair of the riffs is a bit downplayed as more of a 'modern' (for 1982) tinge comes in, and the songwriting occasionally shows more elaborate arrangements creeping in here and there (like the title track of the album, or the closing song "Quietus/Reprise"). Also, great leaps are made lyrically - instead of an album worshipping 'sex, drugs, rock, and beer' with the occasional 'evil' track thrown in for good measure, the band touches on some of everything - anthems to youth ("Requeim for Youth") and music ("Music"), songs about darkness ("Shadowed Images"), suicide ("Love on Smack"), and the occult ("Friends of Hell"), and even a ballad ("I Lost You") all show the band's progress (as does the album cover, which features now FOUR pair of bare breasts, not just one...).

This album, like the band's first, has been long out of print but was just recently reissued on CD. Basically, if you liked the first album or are at all a fan of Sabbath-style or psychedelic metal, you'll like this album, but hurry and get it before it goes the way of the dodo. Also, watch out for a 'Singles and Rarities' reissue on CD soon from Heavy Metal records, which is supposed to contain the classic "Soviet Invasion" EP, the "Burning a Sinner" single, and other gems.

(Originally published at LARM (c) 1999)