Witchsmeller Pursuivant
Manifest Of Evil ()
Wydane przez Shiver RecordsRok wydania Kraj BelgiumNapisał Wouter6
Like their peers in Crusader Belgian heavy metal collective Witchsmeller Pursuivant formed in the mid ‘90s and is somewhat of a legend in the Belgian underground scene. “Manifest Of Evil”, the band’s third full length, continues the path the band followed on their prior two records, very much in vein of (early) Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate and Saxon. The band masters their instruments well, although there’s no real stand out track to speak of. The compositions are strong in their own right but not exceptional in any meaningful way. The dynamics, tempo changes and solos are workmanlike and play it just a little too much by-the-numbers at times. Like the majority of Shiver’s bands these days the material on this record is of a respectable level, but not exactly strong enough to warrant an international release. Witchsmeller Pursuivant however has a versatile frontman in Luciver Vecken, whose dramatic, theatrical chants form the highlight of this record. The bass-heavy production is fitting but feels like a glorified demo session and Witchsmeller Pursuivant loses some of its impact due to its rather limited palette in the production department. The guitars in particular suffer from this as they lack the bite and punch to really shine. “Manifest Of Evil” comes with stunning artwork that harkens back to the genre’s earlier days. With a better studio and an experienced genre producer at their disposal Witchsmeller Pursuivant could potentially produce an album that would establish their name in the international scene. “Manifest Of Evil” is possibly a stepping stone for this band and their profile in the Belgian scene.
www.shiver-records.com
