Soviet Invasion!

An acoustic guitar welcomes one to the beginning of “Soviet Invasion”, both to the album and to the song itself. Don’t be fooled though, as Witchfinder General is in no way a mellow band. In fact, it’s the last time you’ll hear such a soothing melody for the rest of their discography! Witchfinder General are doom; pure, uncomplicated and bloody raw. Traditional doom right down to its nucleus, with thick, simple riffs and despairing clean vocals. But this single offers more than just that, it offers something that one does not often see (or, at least, pick up) in certain genres of metal – it offers a message.

This message echoes the sentiment of the times in Great Britain (and, indeed, the rest of the Western world) during the ‘70s and early-‘80s. A sentiment of the deep-fear, felt by the West, of the Soviet Union and the dastardly deeds it committed behind the Iron Curtain. “Soviet Invasion” is a cry for peace throughout the world, and a cry for mercy for the people of the Warsaw Pact countries.

The drumming in this single is simple yet effective. It perfectly compliments the bass line, and makes itself particularly prevalent with a cowbell semi-intro on "R.I.P", which flows ever-so-smoothly into the main riff of the song. You aren't going to be dazzled by the drumwork on this album, it's really just a back-seater – though it’s still essential.

Some say that a good vocalist with a vast range is "make or break" for a doom band, and I would tend to agree. Witchfinder General do not disappoint in this field at all. Despite this being just a 13 minute release, the vocalist's full ability is utilised, with his clean voice and impressive ability to instil complete emotion into the already emotion-filled lyrics, he adds a whole level of genuineness to the band.

I only have one problem with this single, and that is the practically pseudo-live performance on R.I.P. (“live”), the crowd noises are merely generated (though the song itself is played live, with no retakes and such). This cheapens the effect of an otherwise great song. Despite that though; pick this single up, it is enjoyable, and is a perfect indication of what was to come from Witchfinder General. Not only that, but it is a relic of the Cold War in metal – something you are unlikely to find in very many other places elsewhere.