Whenever a friend turns me onto a new band that I subsequently review for this outlet, I have to shout them out. With that in mind, shoutout to Clare Mairéad, frontwoman of the mighty Breakker, for putting today’s featured band on my radar. Much like Breakker, Witchforce are also a female-fronted (I’m not sure which phrase I hate but am guilty of using more: This or “NWOTHM”) traditional metal act who are relatively new. The band has dropped sporadic singles over the past couple years, culminating in their eponymous debut full length which may as well double as a time machine to 1987.
Upon first listen, Witchforce’s brand of classic metal bears a striking resemblance to Warlock, specifically Triumph and Agony era Warlock. Frontwoman Cassie Nadeau is a dead ringer for Doro, her vocals boasting an ideal balance of passion and bite. The songs themselves emphasize hooks over heaviness, which is why I must specify the comparison to Warlock’s American era, so to speak, as opposed to their early euro years, when they had more in common with the likes of Acid. Just listen to the opening “Save Our Souls”. With its big arena-friendly riffs, pseudo-disco beat, and slick production, one could imagine this getting regular rotation on Headbangers Ball once upon a time.
Cuts like “Witchcraft”, “Into the Woods”, and “We All Shine On” expand upon this approach further, coming off as heavy enough to lure in tried and true ragers, but accessible enough to appeal to those whose metal consumption consisted exclusively of major label fare in those glory days. The polish and sheen of it all recalls Savage Master’s most recent outing, Dark & Dangerous. I can’t help but think those masked marauders had a hand in influencing this batch of tunes we’re treated to here, as their imprint on the traditional metal underground of the past decade has been most tremendous.
There are a handful of outliers that might turn an ear or two. Melodically inclined cuts like “Never Say Die” (Not to be confused with the Sabbath classic), “The Hunter” (Not to be confused with the Dokken classic), and “Call of the Wild” (Not to be confused with the Amboy Dukes classic…is there truly such a thing as an original idea?) evoke shadows of ’80s faves Pat Benatar and Saraya with their anthemic spirit and revved up AOR execution. On the opposite side of the spectrum is the breakneck “Heroes & Fools”, which showcases what Witchforce are capable of when they put the pedal to the metal. Perhaps their next album will see them upping the ante in terms of tempo and intensity?
Whether you’re in the market for reckless speedsters, glitzy melodic hard rock, or good ol’ fashioned arena metal cranked to the max, Witchforce have you covered. Despite their black metal-sounding moniker, they aren’t nearly as intimidating as one would envision, seeming more concerned with having a hard n’ heavy hell of a time than converting us to the dark side. Of course, that could change in one fell swoop, but I digress. The force is strong with Witchforce!
7 out of 10
Label: Independent
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Warlock, Savage Master, Chastain
Leave a Reply