Angel Witch Angel Witch

Angel Witch 'Angel Witch' (Bronze 1980)

For years I would see the cover of this album in top tens of New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) and would hear Lars Ulrich or Tom G Warrior referencing the band's huge influence on their work. For years I would be intrigued by the reverence this band received and their almost mythical status.

I was never a huge fan of the NWOBHM, Saxon, Cloven Hoof, Diamond Head etc. never really grabbed me the same way that Iron Maiden, the absolute undisputed kings of the movement, did. Maiden upped the ante quite a bit with their heavier, faster take on metal and the quality of both their classic frontmen was leagues above their contemporaries.

Tom G Warrior modelled the lurching beast that was Hellhammer on Venom and Angel Witch apparently. Venom are an incredibly fun, theatrical, heavy and 'evil' band so I always assumed that Angel Witch would be in the same league.

I have now seen them twice, their star in ascendance as the cycular nature of fashion means that their particular niche of metal is now popular again with the doom and trad metaller types. And they make their standout title track last for about 20 minutes with a very enjoyable, if a little tiresome, call and response of 'She's an Angel Witch!'.

I picked this up about two years ago in Dundee and the cover is excellent, John Martin's 'The Fallen Angels Entering Pandemonium', and the back has a nice representation of the Eiliphas Levi Baphomet above a picture of the three Angel Witchers pointing at the listener, no doubt trying to be evil.

It certainly looks the part, very classic, it looks as though it could sound a bit like Celtic Frost, maybe Metallica but given its vintage maybe a bit like classic Sabbath?

The best thing about this album? The cover. This one is even more special as it has the original WH Smith price tag on it - £5.29 in 1980 maybe?

The worst thing about this album? Everything apart from the cover. It's all well played and perfectly acceptable, but that's just it: it's so safe, so pedestrian. The vocals are insipid. The music is about as far from what I consider heavy metal as you can really get.

It's pop rock. I actually like quite a bit of pop rock, but I like stuff that has never had pretentions to being seminal or somehow important. I just can't understand how this record has the reputation it does.

Death metal and all round general rock god, Bill Steer, has joined them for their latest album and tours, so they must be doing something right; I just can't see it.

Lu summed this up nicely; 'What is this? Brotherhood of Man? Absolute nonsense!'

Peace