All the best tunes belong to the Devil, and Portland’s bastard sons BEWITCHER have returned to take back rock n’ roll in Baphomet’s name.
“Starfire Maelstrom”, the pummeling first invocation from the vaunted trio’s upcoming album “Spell Shock” (due Sept 27th on Century Media Records) is the hardened and bloodthirsty sound of BEWITCHER - noise, filth, fury n’ all.

“It’s full of apocalyptic, speed demon vibes, and imagery taken from the worst of current events that only get more apocalyptic as time goes by,” says BEWITCHER frontman Mateo Von Bewitcher of Spell Shock’s lead missive. “It’s the feeling you get from ‘Fight Fire with Fire’ on [Metallica’s] ‘Ride the Lightning’. It’s immediate how it feeds into themes of human destruction and war, but also has cosmic elements. It’s a classic album opener.” Joining Von Bewitcher, bassist A. Magus, and drummer A. Hunter in the studio this time was none other longtime BEWITCHER fan Lars Frederiksen. Most of the world knows Frederiksen as a force in his own right, playing in the likes of Bay Area punk heroes Rancid, as well as his own Old Firm Casuals. While to some, it may have been an unlikely pairing with Frederiksen taking the producer’s seat, for everyone in the studio the connection was immediate. Says Frederiksen on Spell Shock: "It’s the best record I’ve ever produced for one of the best bands in the world."

I’m sure it’s a coincidence, but I can’t get over the fact that the main riff sounds almost exactly like the main riff from this:

https://youtu.be/E1oMGugkMy0?feature=shared

Anyway, Bewitcher have done some cool stuff, and I’ll definitely check this out. Given how played out the whole blackened speed metal schtick has become, I do hope they spread their wings a little with this one however.