Witchfield - Sleepless

The Italian label "Black Widow" has already released some great albums by Pentagram, Manilla Road, Hawkwind, Death SS and now here is another one to add to the list. " Sleepless" by "Witchfield" is a very interesting band featuring ex "Death SS" / "Paul Chain "drummer "Thomas Hand Chaste" along with "Baka Bomb" who i think also worked with "Paul Chain"."Witchfield's" sound is one of classic Italian Traditional Doom Metal with a extreme occult vibe mixed with what sounds like some early obscure 70's Progressive Rock influences of bands like "High Tide" and the almighty "Black Widow".Special guests on the album are Steve Sylvester (Death SS) as vocalist in the Alice Cooper’s “Black Widow” cover and Clive Jones (Black Widow) as woodwinds player on “Void in My Life” and “Inquisitor”. The songs are filled with suspense and the feeling of drama and have a certain theatrical approach that so many Italian bands are famous for.Some highlights include ‘The Mask Of The Demon’ which sounds heavily inspired by King Diamond and ‘I Curse My Fate’ and the ultimate traditional doom of ‘Witchfield/Black Widow’, with a great sing along chorus.The vocals are not the strongest part of the band,sometimes they sound a little weak to me but the guitar parts feature some great down tempo riffing with some killer wah-wah effects.My favorite track has to be ‘I Curse My Fate’ with its driving keyboard sound that has classic 70's written all over it.Don't be fooled however because this Traditional Doom but with a 70's Progressive Rock flavor.This album has been out since the early part of the year but after reading some positive reviews,i thought i better get a order in.To be honest i was a little disappointed but there is still enough good riffing and strong musical ideas to warrant repeated spins.This will appeal to lovers of Traditional Doom but also to those fans of the obscure 70's Hard/Progressive Rock underground.8/10 http://www.myspace.com/witchfield