Witchcraft – “Ash” (2011)
Label : Ravenheart Records
Review by Tony Cannella
WitchcrafT is a dark, progressive metal band from Russia. They were formed in 2005 and released their debut “The Voice From Inside” in 2008. Their just released second album is titled “Ash”. Musically, WitchcrafT offers a classy style and the angelic vocals (no pun intended) of Angel. The band utilizes very prog-like keyboard passages that interplay nicely with the guitars. The intro “Memories” begins things and sorta reminded me a bit of Dream Theater when the keyboards kick in. That’s no surprise since DT is listed as one of the bands influences. After the intro, the band launches into the haunting title track “Ash”, tempo wise this song shifts gears from a slower style to faster and more bombastic, a cool guitar solo is also on display here. In addition to the beautiful vocals of Angel, some male vocals are also present throughout “Ash”. I apologize for not being able to provide who performed the male vocals, but I could not find them anywhere on-line. “Flaming Night” is next and is a melodic power metal type of song and also one of the heavier and more straight forward numbers include here. The male vocalist takes the lead on this one. The ballad “Frail Rime” slows the tempo down a down a few notches and delivers a stunning vocal performance from Angel.The use of violins on this track helps to make it a somber, melancholic track. Other highlights include: “Oblivion”, “Mist” and “Sleepy Hollow”. “Ash” is a very strong second release from WitchcrafT. It maintains a steady, consistent path musically throughout its 53-minute playing time. Fans who love Prog-metal with haunting and dark undercurrents should check out WitchcrafT.
Rating – 85/100
Tracklist
- Memories (Intro)
- Ash
- Flaming Night
- Frail Rime
- Oblivion
- Alive
- Mist
- Sleepy Hollow
- Black Waters
- The Insight Tree
- Eternity
- Serenity (Outro)
Line Up
- Lyudmila “Angel”– Vocals
- Misha – Guitars
- Ekaterina “Kate Noir” Alexandrova – Violin & Backing Vocals
- Vladimir “V’olt” Ptashnik – Bass
- Maxim “Max” Gusakov – Drums
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