Witchwood
Handful of Stars

From the quiet town of ceramics, it's easy to pass through an enchanted door. On the threshold, there's an inscription: “Witchwood”.

This passage leads us into the heart of a forest, where the elongated shadows of '70s hard rock, alongside all its psychedelic and progressive tinges, are ready to grab us, shake us (“Like A Giant In A Grave”), and sometimes, lull us (“Mother”).

The magic and ritual that ensue are unleashed by six sabbath priests, not new to the scene but already active in the past, as in their previous incarnation under the name Buttered Bacon Biscuits, authors of the esteemed “From The Solitary Woods” in 2010.

The high technical level of the musicians, together with the passion and warmth of the voice of the leader Riccardo Dal Pane (whose are the four unreleased or partially unreleased songs present here) and the ability to engage and enchant with the long instrumental plots that adorn each piece, inevitably capture our attention. This despite the nature of the record being that of an extended EP (or mini LP, as you will).

The two covers of the protective deities Blue Öyster Cult and Uriah Heep, ripped straight from their glorious '70s, are nothing but an excellent added value (especially “Flaming Telepaths” in its success) to an album like few are produced in Italy (and this also includes the debut “Litanies From The Woods” of 2015, of course).

The only hope is that, now four years after this “Handful Of Stars”, Witchwood decides to invite us once again to cross that magical threshold.