Although coming to prominence alongside Iron Maiden, Tygers Of Pan Tang and Diamond Head during the burgeoning New Wave Of British Heavy Metal scene of the late 70s and early 80s, the roots of Witchfynde go back to 1973, when drummer Gra Scoresby met guitarist Montalo. Formed in Derbyshire, they were eventually joined by vocalist Steve Bridges and bassist Andro Coulton, playing their first official gig supporting Thin Lizzy at Derby College. Following the likes of Def Leppard and Iron Maiden, Witchfyndes 1979 debut was to have been a self-financed release in the form of the Give Em Hell single, although it was eventually issued on the independent Rondelet Records. The full-length debut LP Give Em Hell was issued in May 1980, followed by some impressive support slots with Saxon, Motorhead, Girl and Girlschool. Give Em Hell has been expanded here with the bonus tracks The Devil's Gallop, Tetelestai plus the B-Side, Wake Up Screaming. Each of the three albums is presented in a mini-sleeve of the original LP, and is housed in a clamshell box. The expanded booklet features an expanded essay by NWOBHM and Witchfynde expert, John Tucker.
F**L
Witchfynde, the Black Sabbath of the NWOBHM !
As a Black Sabbath fan I've always been searching for similar bands or bands that had the same dark vibe going on. I discovered Witchfinder General and early Quartz at the time, but when I got to hear Stagefright I was really impressed ! That guitar sound on the opening track was so huge and doomy it grabbed me by the throat. Montalo was like a new re-invented Tony Iommi in my musical universe .I couldn't get enough of Witchfynde so I bought their debut album a few days later. The sound was pretty much the same, but I found that all of the songwriting was not as strong as on Stagefright. Considering the budget the band had at the time, both records were well-produced and sounded fantastic.Cloak and Dagger was another story. The album was released on another label and the drums sounded very cheap compared to the predecessors. This and the fact that new singer Luther Beltz had taken Steve Bridges place were dissapointments. Eventhough the songs were good these facts didn't do the band and the album any justice.But here we have all three albums remastered, with some bonus material and at a very reasonable price. Get it while you can !
L**Y
Splendid
Great band from the early 80s .still sound good today .great collection 5 stars
P**N
Five Stars
great
S**N
Five Stars
arrived early, definitely worth the money
E**N
Nice surprise
I've always owned their debut album but for some reason never explored further either because contemporary reviews were poor or I'd got sick of the nwobhm which promised so much and delivered so little except decidedly unheavy rubbish like Maiden and Saxon and had reverted back to old Sokol metal. Give em Hell is reassuringly old skool and still sounds ace. Stage fright is a real surprise. It's a gem of a record with crunching riffs and real tunes. Cloak and Dagger is not so good with the singer attempting a very poor Rob Halford.
R**B
The joys of classic NWOBHM from a unique band.
I still play the debut album regularly ... rumour was of a pact with dark forces in exchange for musical inspiration and listening to it even now I am struck by how singular, mature and polished the whole thing is. Frighteningly so, appropriately. The follow ups never quite matched the dark majesty of that first L.P. but the band always had certain qualities that inspired my loyalty ... saw the guys at HRH NWOBHM in December and they were superb.The real bonus here is the inclusion of Belfast ... recorded onto a crappy cassette from The Friday Rock Show which I kept for years. The passion, particularly in the vocals, is incredible. Add the more commerciasl, polished songs of album #2 and the hookey joys of Cloak & Dagger and this is a collection guaranteed to please any fan. Why no Lord of Sin tho' ... surely would make the collection complete?
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