By: Richard Maw
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 25/11/2016
Label: Century Media Records
The riffage is superb throughout, as
is the production- being as it is raw and noisy and thus perfect for this type
of music. “The Burning of Salem” is as fast as it is dark, while “Gilded Fang”
is a short storm of riffs and blasts. Frankly, it is hard to pick stand-outs
here. The album is uniformly good. Unsung heroes of Swedish metal to a large
extent, I urge you to check this album out and then work back through
“Witchkrieg” and beyond.
“In His Infernal Majesty's Service” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1). Lavey-athon
2). Zoroast
3). Netherworld Empire
4). Nosferatu
5). The Burning of Salem
6). Gilded Fang
7). Empty Tombs
8). In Warm Blood
9). Escape from Dunwich Valley
10). Feed The Gun
The Review:
Witchery, now nearly
twenty years into their existence, return here some six years after the nasty
and excellent “Witchkrieg”. The
album finds the band still ploughing the blackened thrash furrow- and their
efforts still yield an impressive crop of riffs and songs.
The
punningly titled “Lavey-athan” kicks things off in thrashing style, while “Zoroast”
takes a more rock n roll type approach- with effective results. Elsewhere, the
thrash is firmly back; “Netherworld Empire” is the type of
rampaging beast that The Haunted used to make before they lost
their way. “Nosferatu” continues the underworld themes with a rather
classic alt-Slayer
pacing and flavour and a catchy (yes) chorus. Storming stuff, so it is.
The
riffage is superb throughout, as is the production- being as it is raw and
noisy and thus perfect for this type of music. “The Burning of Salem” is
as fast as it is dark, while “Gilded Fang” is a short storm of
riffs and blasts. Frankly, it is hard to pick stand-outs here. The album is
uniformly good. Nothing lets the side down, nothing stands out for the wrong
reasons. “Empty Tombs” is a concise thrasher, “In Warm Blood” is a
mid-paced rocker... there are no holes to pick here. There is even a Lovecraft
inspired track in “Escape From Dunwich Valley” (which is awesome, incidentally).
By
the time of the two closing tracks of identical length, “Feed The Gun” and “Oath
Breaker”, you will have been well and truly thrashed. Line up changes
have not dulled this band's potency one iota. The macabre humour remains, the
song writing is as sharp as ever. Witchery are most certainly back and have made
yet another great record. Unsung heroes of Swedish metal to a large extent, I
urge you to check this album out and then work back through “Witchkrieg” and beyond.
“In
His Infernal Majesty's Service” is
available now
Band
info: facebook
