Witchcraft
Firewood

For all those who loved the bygone sound of Jimmy Page's guitar, the sandy and vintage hard rock of Bloodrock, the class and power of Deep Purple, the discovery of the Swedish band Witchcraft was like diving back in time, in total darkness, hoping for a riff of those important ones, capable of giving you back the emotions now lost after the barbarization of rock. The self-titled debut was a bolt from the blue: definitely derivative, but certainly real and played with a passion that hadn't been felt for some time.

In all of this, Firewood represents the second chapter of the band's discography, led by singer Magnus Pelander, the pillar of the combo. Yet, despite the good reviews from critics, not everyone was fully convinced of the merits of "Firewood." The discussion to be had is both double and complex: on one hand, we find the band's background, made of dated sound (mainly early seventies), deliberately sparse production and undeniable references to the past, it results that the main consequence is tied to originality. Starting from things already played, even with the desire to revive them through a bold revival action, the result ends up being (partly) negative. We must convince ourselves that nothing will take us back to the masterpieces of blues and hard rock, but we must nonetheless acknowledge those who, with the desire to try and especially courage, engage musically to awaken the sound of that "cult" period defined between the late sixties and early seventies.

These ties with the "big groups of the genre" give life to a two-faced album: on one side, we find the splendid opener "Chylde of Fire", the doom/stoner of "Queen of Bees", the folk ballad "Sorrow Evoker", the freshness of the instrumental "Merlin's Daughter", and alongside them, pieces with the handbrake on that seem all too forced. "Mr. Haze", "I See a Man", and "You Suffer" remain suspended between hard rock and a doom/blues sound that's dated but with a questionable appeal, giving birth to the other side I previously mentioned.

At the end of the day, "Firewood" is positive but also half-succeeded. One perceives in the grooves of Pelander and associates' songs the incomplete maturation, that quality leap that ensures a better and more homogeneous musical yield in the construction of the tracklist and general mood. It's an album made with courage, one that should not be missed if you love these types of sounds.

1. "Chylde Of Fire" (2:50)
2. "If Wishes Were Horses" (3:16)
3. "Mr. Haze" (3:41)
4. "Wooden Cross (I Can't Wake The Dead)" (4:46)
5. "Queen Of Bees" (5:13)
6. "Merlin's Daughter" (1:32)
7. "I See A Man" (3:59)
8. "Sorrow Evoker" (5:44)
9. "You Suffer" (2:43)
10. "Attention!" (3:47)