Spiritual Warfare

Possibly due to the absence of unique features, Bewitched is one of these formations that released a couple of albums without arresting attention before the band vanished into thin air. Since almost ten years, they did neither officially announce their end nor did they surprise us with a new album. This is one of the reasons why I still listen to "Spiritual Warfare" from time to time. Thankfully, there are further (and doubtlessly better) reasons to lend an ear to its ten songs. Bewitched demonstrate their talent to write fluently arranged songs. While possessing the necessary degree of brusqueness, the tracks do not suffer from awkward breaks or dubious tempo changes. Quite the opposite, each and every part fits seamlessly. Better still, the smooth guitar lines are not at the expense of sharpness.

The Swedish guys always commuted between traditional heavy metal and shabby speed / thrash metal. "Spiritual Warfare" emphasises the latter genres. More precisely, the full-length has almost nothing in common with the conservative style of metal, maybe with the exception of the title track. In particular the nasty guitar sound prevents any similarity with true heavy metal bands. Right from the outset, Bewitched choose a tough pace. A provoking riff challenges the listener and kicks off the opener simultaneously. Due to its high velocity approach, the nicely (or should I say idiotically) titled track gives the band the possibility to show its muscles for the first time. One gets flattened by the sharp guitar work as well as the catchy chorus. There can be no question that this promising tune leaves scorched earth behind.

Yet it comes as no surprise that the Scandinavians cannot maintain the high standard of the opener. I am not able to identify a filler, but some songs stand out while the remaining tracks, for instance "Malevolant Force of Destruction" or "This Is Goodbye...", just reach a solid level. Nevertheless, the entire album is characterised by effective leads, robust riffs and generously proportioned melodies. Perhaps you like to listen to "Heisinme" (no, I did not forget the blanks), another thrash metal diadem. It possesses all of the aforementioned features without neglecting the creation of a slightly diabolic aura. Just a little hint for those of you who are always under time pressure, its most explosive section emerges at 3:36 after a short moment of silence and creates a furious finish.

In contrast to some of their previous works, "Spiritual Warfare" appears very professionally. Do not worry, I am not speaking of a soulless product. It is just a fact that the three-piece convinces with a high degree of maturity and musicianship. Another important component is constituted by the flawless production. The album shines with a clean yet powerful sound. But nobody needs to be afraid of a clinical mix which avoids any kind of filth. The compositions themselves contribute the dirty elements. Above all, the malignant voice of lead vocalist Vargher adds the evil flair. He expresses falsehood, danger and perfidy, regardless of the consequences.

Finally, the band knows very well how to bring a song to an end. The compositions are coherent and they appear neither too long nor semi-finished. Only the title of the record is a little bit confusing, because any kind of spirituality is missing. Instead, the band stands with both feet firmly in life. But this is secondary. In view of the power of "Spiritual Warfare", I would highly appreciate a - currently unlikely - comeback of Bewitched. Conversely, a benefactor of humanity should steal the instruments of their nerve-shattering compatriots of Sabaton.

What the hell has happened? Did some giant wormhole expose itself in the universe and swap us into a different dimension? Did Quicksilver convince Scarlet Witch to alter reality as we know it? Why the questions? Well, let’s just say something beyond human control must have happened when thrash titans Bewitched stewed up an average record like the painfully-mediocre “Spiritual Warfare.” Shocked? You should be!

Bewitched has been totally consistent with their wonderful discography; that is, until “Spiritual Warfare” was shown the light of day. Musically, “Spiritual Warfare” shows Bewitched cruising down the wrong path of flatness, or the lost of ideas that were once present, but are now gone. After years of dispelling hellish thrash, Bewitched have finally had a loss of ideas and created a record that fails to show any signs of progression from their previous CDs; it’s quite a disappointing listen.

Dissection of the various tracks presents an unexpected lack of riffs and musical coordination, meaning there’s one set of instrumentation per tune without changing. And it seems the whole thrash thing subsided a bit, because there are a lot of lame groove parts that sound really simple and boring. The vocals are certainly listenable albeit a bit annoying at times, but that’s really all one could expect after experiencing the music firsthand. Simply put, “Spiritual Warfare” is a mediocre effort that’s plagued by obvious boo-boos of all sorts. Not a good thing to hear when you’re expecting a psychotic thrash record, believe me.

Listening to “Spiritual Warfare” multiple times will reveal just two noteworthy hymns, which are ironically the first pair of compositions: “Fucked By Fire” and “Gracefallen.” Traces of harsh thrash riffing and hammering Black Sabbath-influenced chord progression slide throughout the prime section of this CD with glimmering value formed by violent blasts of metal. These chiming bells of enjoyment are lethal as cyanide and radiate classic vibes of Bewitched’s masterful thrash attack wonderfully. Sadly, everything else is generally boring and simply represents the timeless result of writing songs to fill up space without considering the substance within each track.

While it’s not a torturing listen, “Spiritual Warfare” suffers from a mass collection of dull material with only a handful of memorable anthems; an infection that’s never been in the body of this enjoyable band before. This flip-flop of a record is easily the worst release Bewitched has ever done, but it still isn’t as bad as most of the crap polluting the ears of fellow metalheads. Stick to the older material before diving into “Spiritual Warfare.”