Unlike the vast number of their Pacific Northwest contemporaries, Portland, OR party kvlt BEWITCHER keep it simple, succinct and proudly Satanic. Eschewing lumbering, portentous doomdoomdoomDOOMYdoomdoomdoom in favour of a relentless, no nonsense speed metal attack, these lithe Bacchanal sonic sorcerers have conjured a confident, defiantly lo-fi sound. Over the course of their three demo EPs, hedonistic indifference to propriety and a concentrated dose of black speed delirium have been place squarely at the centre of BEWITCHER’s campaign of infernal terror and burning debauchery.
Their latest three-song offering, Midnight Hunters (Heretic Fire Records), available digitally and as a limited edition cassette, once again doesn’t try to reinvent the Catherine wheel. Instead, shitkicking in Satan’s unholy name is (still) the primary mission statement, as evidenced by headlong, self-explanatory riff-fuelled joyrides like “Speed Till You Bleed” and the title track. Navel-gazing, conceptually hirsute Stereogum fodder, this ain’t, ICYMI.
Over before you even realize it, Midnight Hunters is further proof that BEWITCHER are more than ready to assume their rightful place leading the rebellion at the gates of Heaven (BYOB).
bewitcher.bandcamp.com/album/midnight-hunters
hereticfire.storenvy.com
