Deathwitch
Violence Blasphemy Sodomy
6.5
Deathwitch has made a fun little record, full of incomprehensible growling and legible cursing, simple, Slayeresque riffs and pummeling drumwork, sometimes fast, usually more speedmetal than death metal fast, but you get some decent blasts from it. But mostly you get fun, "we don't care about anything but the pain you feel after listening" old school vibes. And you get it without any frills.
The songwriting is scattershot speedmetal with far heavier guitar production, combined with the kind of endearing pointlessness you used to get from S.O.D. or Dayglow Abortions. Take for instance the soon to be classic lyric "Blood sucking fuck, bloodsucking fuck, fuck sucking blood, Fuck sucking BLOOOD, FUUUUUUUUCK". I am all for ripping on the vampire fetish, especially in such an inane way. Combined with the straight forward, straight METAL musical styling it's hard not to love.
Musicianship is nothing unbelievable by modern standards, but it's tight and full of piss and vinegar. There are maniacal guitar solos all over the place, and the songs are tied down very well by the performances. Call it solid, and very entertaining, but not Decrepit Birth or whoever.
The production follows the no frills ethic almost too well. Although the band exudes personality, I felt like the production worked to rob them of it. But it's clean and heavy, especially the guitars. The drums are - say it with me - a little canned and thin, but it's not a major deterrent. The vocals lack any real pizazz, though. Eventually you start to ignore them, which is, again, no great deterrent.
Bottom line: For as cool a record as this is you may have noticed I spent a lot of time describing things with the caveat "but that doesn't really ruin it". That is really the bottom line here. This is an enjoyable record with some good things to offer, but it's not a must have. It works despite...and sometimes BECAUSE of its shortcomings. It's really just beer drinking metal you can share with friends and loved ones. I will listen to it again, but not with any passion.
