Decadence, debauchery, and electric hellfire! Portland gang Bewitcher fire off a deadly combination of speeding blackened thrash and third jaunt Cursed Be Thy Kingdom is a romp signifies an old West vibe with the intro and blazes into a crossbreed of Venom, Midnight and Motörhead. Singer Matt Litton says it best, “We’re Bewitcher and we play the devil’s rock ‘n’ roll!” This energetic trio delights with dirty, bloody, heavy metal as Cursed Be Thy Kingdom reigns at #10!

Scribe Mark Gromen wrote in his review:

Feel sorry for bands like Betwitcher, who were just beginning to make a stink, in the music world, prior to the global pandemic shutdown. Seemingly poised to break out of the faceless underground, the Portland, Oregon trio will now be fighting for column space and "likes" alongside the plethora of sequestered acts (including the biggest names in the genre). True, that was always the case, but (especially) after this virus imposed dormancy, metalheads will surely gravitate to their "long lost favorites" before lesser-known underlings: precisely the bands who NEED an infusion of capital, tours, high profile releases, to keep them going (emotionally, financially, etc.) after a couple inactive years.

Speed, aggression and grit under the fingernails, Bewitcher don't compose music for the pretty people, preferring to not only live in the underbelly of society, but thrive in such inhospitable environs. That said, the nine hoarse, croaking vocals led tracks (opening "Ashe" is merely a 1:43 mood-setting intro) retain an infectious edge that denizens mired in musical filth rarely possess. Perhaps that's (in part) due to the simplistic, three piece construct, but there's countrified and bluesy nuisances within the black-metal-lite death & roll. Imagine Abbath's pre-solo outfit, I, with a bit more swaggering groove. Pick of the litter, "Satanic Magick Attack" seems conjured from the same primordial alchemy as Cleveland masters of grime, Midnight.

(Photo: Courtney Brooke Hall)

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