Angel Witch
Screamin'n'Bleedin'

Authors of one of the fundamental and immortal albums of the NWOBHM, the London-based Angel Witch had one of the most troubled histories among all English bands of the period: the group led by the restless and brilliant Kevin Heybourne experienced several break-ups and reunions within a few short years and a singular rotation of musicians accompanying the difficult guitarist.

After the eponymous 1980 album, a true milestone of English Metal, our band (with David Tattum now on vocals, Peter Gordelier on bass, the resurrected Dave Hogg on drums and, of course, with Kevin on guitar having temporarily set aside any vocal aspirations) returned to the spotlight in 1985 by releasing the controversial "Screamin'N'Bleedin'", which the good Heybourne would later disown without much hesitation.

The fact was that the album in question, while offering extremely solid rhythms and fervent riffs, seemed too skewed in favor of more easy-listening compositions compared to the previous and more contemplative masterpiece. While songs like the fantastic "Children Of The Night" and the beautiful "Waltz The Night" recall the band's recent past, with their dark progression and, in the latter's case, a certain "Sabbathian" feel, other tracks seem deliberately crafted to conquer radio stations and establish a foothold in the American market: examples include "Evil Games", complete with a similar Antoniano choir in the finale, with (evil?) children singing the catchy chorus, or the rather sweet "Goodbye", still a little gem in its genre.

Among these two opposing poles lies a series of tracks that one way or another uphold the Angel Witch banner, like the opener "Who's To Blame", perhaps one of the compositional peaks of the album, with its pure and genuinely British energy, the aggressive title track, the beautiful "Reawakening", though perhaps now a bit dated, the dark (and charming) semi-ballad "Afraid Of The Dark", one of the best pieces, and the more straightforward and thunderous "Fatal Kiss". To close, a mysterious outro, "U.X.V.", suitably dark and horror-themed, but which inevitably makes one think back with some nostalgia to the old, venomous, "Devil's Tower" from the legendary debut.

This, in general, is the album's problem: the unreserved abandonment of the unhealthy malevolence that characterized the band’s beginnings to embrace a melodic scope that seemed (and seems) still alien to the band, but mostly flattened their sound, conforming it to the mainstream: essentially, Angel Witch lost much of their uniqueness. However, this does not detract from Heybourne's creative and performance abilities, who manages to handle things in a manner always worthy of his name and to carve out at least enjoyable riffs, even if not entirely memorable, for songs which at first listen might seem far more banal. In any case, it's a step back for the group, which will further worsen the situation with the subsequent "Frontal Assault".