ANGEL OF DAMNATION - "HEATHEN WITCHCRAFT"

ANGEL OF DAMNATION specialize in witching classic-style doom. Perhaps not surprisingly, it all comes courtesy of a quartet of underground diehards, including FRONT BEAST mainman Avenger on guitar, the rhythm section of Cross Vault (drummer Skullsplitter and Avenger also play in longtime cult faves Nocturnal), and prolific vocalist Gerrit Mutz (Sacred Steel, Battleroar, Dawn of Winter) under the ever-apt handle Doomcult Messiah. Together, they created the cult debut Carnal Philosophy, released in 2011. Those who had the opportunity to hear it thrilled to the aeons-old metal magick across its concise-yet-expansive 37 minutes. But now, with Heathen Witchcraft, ANGEL OF DAMNATION have perfected their style in a most haunting manner.
Like some lost relic of the NWOBHM, on Heathen Witchcraft, true to its title, ANGEL OF DAMNATION purge the witchfinder generals and celebrate the old-world splendor of medieval witchery. And compared to the no-less-considerable debut, on LP#2 do they create even longer and more enveloping epics which both firmly establish a fog-choked atmosphere and dispense with time-honored metal classicism. Of course, the album begins most spookily, hitting a fever pitch of harrowing horror on the title track, and then successively builds into (and finishes) with moody, galloping hard-chargers like "Lord of the Seven Churches" and "Tear Off the Veil of the Sun." Through it all, Doomcult Messiah is in top form, seemingly narrating these dark events in realtime.