Witches Hammer - Devourer of the Dead (2021)^{Release ID: 33579}

The Unstoppable Wheel

For once in their career, Witches Hammer are back sooner rather than later to deliver another crushing half hour of their now signature Thrash/Death Metal in a way that just feels right for a fusion of the two genres. Last year these classic Canadian extreme metal pioneers resurrected themselves from the depths with their release of Damnation Is My Salvation, seemingly without having aged a bit in the process. There's ample truth in not fixing something that isn't broken when it comes to the style of Metal that Witches Hammer plays, and they've all but perfected it, even for the modern era. They have a few new tricks on Devourer of the Dead, but I'm definitely not complaining when it comes to a second dose of something I enjoyed so much last year.

One of the most important aspects of Witches Hammer is their old school production quality, which consists of a slightly muted overall mix with a chunky bottom level and massive sounding guitars that fill out the rest of the space. Devourer of the Dead is a bit clearer overall than their previous album though, allowing the bass and certain guitar sections to pop out of the reverbed foundation much better than before. It's definitely less grimy, but this more comprehensible production works in their favor due to the slightly more complex melodies that Witches Hammer employs this time around. Most riffs are a bit off-kilter and stray away from the simpler thrash rhythms, making for an exciting and compact package that pushes the boundaries a bit more than their debut. Damnation Is My Salvation had a satisfying simplicity to its approach and had a bit more balance with its Death Metal influences, but Devourer of the Dead’s ripping Thrash approach with its higher tempos and more technical riffing is a more than welcome evolution.

It should be noted that some of these songs are re-recordings of EP’s, since I was able to find a suitably horrendous (but still kind of cool) quality “Final Storm” from their 1986 EP. That being said, it’s pretty impressive that Witches Hammer had been sitting on some seriously heavy hitting material for many, many years before being able to finally record it in a way that holds up to modern standards. “Final Storm” also reaffirms that the genre of Metal is far from dying out as long as bands can make a simple chug riff sound as good as the opener here. The classic Thrash riffing is no slouch either, with tracks like “Rapid Captor” and “Stretching Into Infinity” almost bursting apart at the seams as the guitar and drums battle to keep up with each other in a satisfyingly messy way. The ping of the snare in the mix does rub me the wrong way, especially in the opening track and during some instrumentals, but it fits into the more chaotic portions in songs like “Fatal Attacker” really well. The cleaner mix also allows the bass to rise above being a distant rumble amongst the kick drum and ride cymbals, creating some killer parts like the massive chug riff in “Thawed From Ice” or carrying the melody alongside a faint acoustic backing in “Final Storm”.

Devourer of the Dead is, somehow, both more complex but also more straightforward in its tried-and-true old school style. While it lost some of its Death Metal hybrid uniqueness and contrast, it doubles down on supplying some of the hardest hitting and rewarding Thrash tracks this year. It’s a short, sharp shot of adrenaline that is cleanly performed but just dirty enough to give it that necessary edge. Not to mention Witches Hammer’s vocalist is one of the most expressive and consistent in the classic Thrash style, something that I’m usually not a big fan of. There’s seemingly no rhyme or reason to his filthy sounding barks or spoken word, but it always fits in with the rest of the production seamlessly. At this point Witches Hammer may have one of the most inspiring stories in all of underground Metal, considering how much better songs like “Final Storm” sound compared to their old EP’s despite all the members being at least in their early 50’s. To finally be able to release some kickass Thrash Metal, some that was written in the late 1980’s, and have it be this proficient in a more modern Metal landscape, all while maintaining its old-school feel, has to be a dream come true.