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.”
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