Witchcraft – Firewood ...

Witchcraft, unless you haven’t heard, is a band who completely missed everything after the 70’s in terms of developments in rock music, and emerged in 2001 with their debut to bring an interesting blend of retro rock. This Swedish beast of a band is, by far, one of the most unique I have encountered.

Allow me to try to define what the Witchcraft sound is. It’s soft-spoken, yet impact-heavy rock that sounds like it was recorded back in the 70’s, with guitars hardly ever fully distorted like we hear today, which are coupled with impressive solos and soft-toned licks. The drums blend in and make their presence known in occasion, as does the soft, light bass. With vocals somewhere between crooning and shouting. One thing there, is that you hear this extra vowel at the end of almost every line. It can get somewhat irritating after a while, but you get used to it.

And here’s where I’ll break the mold: I can’t do a track-by-track analysis of “Firewood”, because it’s a cohesive whole. On it’s own, every song displays the trademark, classic rock of Witchcraft, coupled with witty lyrics that lend themselves easily. From the foot-stomping grooves of “Mr. Haze” to the soft-spoken, engaging “Sorrow Evoker” to the groovin’, rockin’ “If Wishes Were Horses” to the rather progressive (and I use the term loosely) “Wooden Cross (I Can’t Wake the Dead)” the album is engaging, yet brimming with character at every turn. You can expect new things with every song, but each new tune, chord or tempo will carry on the Witchcraft character. That’s the biggest strength they have, and they have it in spades.

If one word could describe this album, it’d be “solitude.” The music generally centers around a mid-tempo baseline, and even the harder, faster moments don’t deviate much from it. As such, it lulls the listener into a sense of ease, and allows you to just fall in sync with it. For something not much centered on atmosphere, quite unlike most genres we cover here, it’s a marvelous achievement.

Shortly put? Well, whatever you say, if you like retro rock, or classic rock, or any type of end-of-60’s-and-then-there-were-70’s, this is your thing. It’s a quiet, laid-back, incredible ride that I doubt will disappoint anyone. 9/10, easy.
Review Written By Sarp Esin

Official Witchcraft Page
Witchcraft @ Myspace