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. The speed demons are now unleashing the electrifying new single, “Starfire Maelstrom", which is the first invocation from the haunted trio’s upcoming album, Spell Shock, due September 27 on on Century Media Records.

The track is the hardened and bloodthirsty sound of Bewitcher - noise, filth, fury n’ all - and can be found along with a lyric video, which was created by Scott Taysom.

“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 the album'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."

Stream/download the single here.

Bewitcher's latest lightening strike comes just in time for the band's appearance at Milwaukee Metal Festival, in which they will be laying waste to The Rave/Eagle's Ballroom tonight, May 17. Bewitcher is currently on the road with fellow Portland-based occultists UADA and Century Media labelmates Upon Stone for "The Shadows Return" tour, which will continue to decimate the states until the final stop on May 28 in Sacramento, CA. More dates including a Fall North American tour, and Bewitcher’s return to Europe as they continue to extol their “Black Magick Metal” gospel will be announced soon.

Lineup:

Mateo von Bewitcher – vox + guitars
A. Hunter – drums + percussion
A. Magus – bass guitar + backing vox

(Photo - Raymond Ahner)