Witchtrap – Trap The Witch

In the world of black/thrash, there are few bands that can compete with Witchtrap. Though this trio of Colombian maniacs takes their time with each full-length, the end result is always magnificent. 2015’s “Trap The Witch” marks their shortest break between records, but that didn’t impact the quality of the album. This record consists of 8 songs filled with tight, bestial riffing. There hasn’t been any significant change in Witchtrap’s sound on this album. They still deliver high-speed riffs that are NWOBHM inspired. Early Destruction and “Show No Mercy”-era Slayer come to mind as the best comparisons, but Witchtrap dials up the tempo even more than those bands did. They have a fairly comfortable pocket of riffs that they draw from as they rarely experiment with unique sounds, but Witchtrap never fails to impress.

The band’s songwriting on “Trap The Witch” is as potent as ever. Even if it sucked, you’d have to appreciate a song named after the Motorhead’s frontman. Of course, this brilliant track was written before his passing, but Witchtrap captured his essence in their own style, as “Lemmy” is a wild, thrashing affair. It is a bold move naming a song after one of metal’s idols, but Witchtrap pulled it off. Another highlight is “Disciple of Death”, which shows the band worshipping “Show No Mercy” more than ever. A lot of the riffs tend to be straight alternate picking until the end when the band throws in a little flare to the riff. This style is simplistic, but surprisingly effective. As good as both of the aforementioned songs are, they pale in comparison to “Hard Thrashing Mania”, which is easily the highlight of the record, and possibly of Witchtrap’s career. It shows the band slowing down slightly (at least compared to the whiplash-inducing tempos found earlier on the record), but it is ever so catchy. The chorus sees Burning Axe Ripper belting out “tonight, metal strikes gold”, and truer words have never been spoken, as this song is pure gold. The main riff has a Judas Priest feel to it, which is why it stands out amongst the more evil riffing that dominates the rest of this release.

If there is one fault on “Trap The Witch”, it would be “Power Of The Maul”. This track gets off to a brooding start, as Witchtrap unleashes some slower notes that ring out, creating a haunting atmosphere. This is not new to the band ("Gypsy Ritual/Face The Evil" and “A Forgotten Cemetery” also did this), but the track never builds anywhere. The verses feel too tame, as the drums don’t fully enter the picture until the choruses. At five and a half minutes, this is the longest song on the album, and it definitely feels that way. There are some good riffs, and speed isn’t a requirement for a song to be enjoyable, but this track feels as though it’s a failed experiment. 

Ignoring that slight flaw, “Trap The Witch” is a near-perfect record. Everything that made Witchtrap great on their first three records is still present here, including the stellar production: crunchy guitars, and a clear sound without being clean. Somehow the band has managed to write riffs that are more classic than ever, and all three members deliver excellent performances from start to finish. This album feels faster than the first 3 as a whole, which naturally works in the band’s favour. Ultimately, “Trap The Witch” is a worthy release both for long-time fans and newcomers to the band.

Be sure to check out and like Witchtrap on Facebook!

Highlights

"Lemmy"

"Hard Thrashing Mania"

"Trap The Witch"

Final Rating

4.75/5 or 95%. 

Written by Scott

Halberd – Remnants of Crumbling Empires

Featuring members from all over the world, Halberd is an international death/doom project that recently released their first full-length album. These 4 tracks span 40 minutes, and while there is plenty of doom, “Remnants of Crumbling Empires” has some other interesting things to offer as well. The opening song, “Northern Bloodletting”, features symphonic orchestrations underneath some of the doomier passages. In addition, the band can really hit the speed when they need to. They don’t really approach the speed of some of the faster death metal bands out there, but they give enough of a boost that the record has some variety in it. It’s similar to how Autopsy does the death/doom, only Halberd puts more emphasis on the doom than they do. With that said, the first two songs are much faster than the last two. “Barghash’s Poison” barely goes into slower passages, instead opting for a more typical death metal song. It works here because it’s only 5 minutes, and it’s a great change of pace before the last 2 behemoth tracks on the album. “Northern Bloodletting” also features a pretty upbeat solo section, but immediately reverts back to crushing doom. The drumming is huge, and when combined with the symphonics, gives off a cavernous feel.

The final two tracks on “Remnants of Crumbling Empires” take a bit of a different approach from the other two. They are longer, slower, and bring a lot more dread. Interestingly, towards the end of “Ignorance of Morbidity”, there are some great epic leads. The song fades out on a solo, which is a bit disappointing because it’s the best part of the song, and things were really clicking at that point. Likewise, the final track, “Dead Horses Cavalry” also fades out, and once again, it does so at the best moment of the song. The riff in the final minute and a half of this tune is the most impressive on the album, and it will be stuck in your head all day. This is likely why this song fades out: to leave the listener wanting more. 

From a production standpoint, this album is pretty impressive. The mix isn’t clean, but it’s easy to understand what’s going on. It has just the right amount of sickness for something in this style. Vocally, Halberd does it all. There are disgustingly low gutturals, higher screams, and all sorts of twisted sounds. There’s even some narration later on in the record. The bass playing isn’t particularly prominent, but there’s enough low end on the album already. Overall, the sound of this album is quite fitting to its theme. Death/doom is not a favourite style of mine, but Halberd shows that, when done properly, it is quite effective. At the end of the day, the quality of riffs is what is important, and Halberd delivers that time and again on this record.

Be sure to check out and like Halberd on Facebook!

Highlights

"Ignorance of Morbidity"

"Dead Horses Cavalry"

Final Rating

4.3/5 or 86%. 

Written by Scott