Review by Daniel for Witchfynde - Stagefright (1980)

I quite enjoyed Witchfynde’s debut album “Give 'Em Hell” from earlier in 1980. It was an interesting blend of progressive rock, hard rock, psychedelic rock & heavy metal with a dark atmosphere & a noticeable 70’s vibe to it. The follow-up, “Stagefright”, came just 8 months later & features a new bass player who puts in a very good display. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I think he’s one of the best things about the album to be honest. 

The more progressive & psychedelic elements of the debut have mostly been replaced with a more commercially accessible hard rock sound which occasionally borders on AOR. In fact, much like the debut, “Stagefright” isn’t really a metal record. There are really only two genuine heavy metal songs included & those two are the clear album highlights with Black Sabbath being the obvious influence. The Rush influence of Witchfynde's earlier work is still easily recognisable however this time it comes more from a song-writing perspective than from a technicality point of view. The production is unfortunately pretty muddy though with a fair whack of mid-range in the mix. 

Overall, I have a bit of time for “Stagefright” however it’s not quite as strong as “Give Ém Hell”. It suffers from a lack of focus at times with the tracklisting appearing to be a touch inconsistent. I prefer the more challenging progressive & psychedelic sounds of the debut over the more commercial material we get here but there's enough quality to warrant your time. We do get the brilliant title track which may be Witchfynde's crowning achievement with it's dark & doomy Sabbath atmosphere. I can hear a clear influence on Mercyful Fate in that song.