ARKHAM WITCH — Legions of the Deep (review)

ARKHAM WITCH — Legions of the Deep album cover Album · 2012 · Heavy Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"Legions of the Deep" is the 2nd full-length studio album by UK heavy/doom metal act Arkham Witch. The album was released through Metal on Metal Records in November 2012. Arkham Witch were formed in 2008 and released their debut full-length studio album "On Crom's Mountain" in 2011. The Keighley, West Yorkshire based four-piece are strongly inspired by the horror stories by H.P. Lovecraft, which is apparent in their choice of band name as well as the cover artworks of their releases and in their lyrics.

The music on the album is traditional heavy metal with traditional doom metal elements not too far removed from Dio-era Black Sabbath. There´s also the occasional nod towards old school thrash metal. The best example of that is "On a Horse Called Vengeance", which is more or less a fully fledged thrash metal track. The tracks are riff based and generally heavy as hell, but with a great mid-paced organic groove. The rough voice of Simon Iff? is powerful and melodic enough to provide the music with variation and a memorable melodic edge. There is a great drive in the music, which is very much due to the playing style of drummer Emily Ningauble. She has the most fantastic and powerful organic playing style and whips up heavy stomping beats in loads (I really appreciate the loud and noisy banging on the cymbals). The melodic lead guitar work as well as the heavy riffs are also noteworthy elements in the band´s style. The horror themed lyrics and imagery provide the album with a nice dark atmosphere, which is another great asset. Dark shouldn´t be interpreted as "evil" sounding though as the band also incorporate both anthemic and quite humourous elements to the music. The humour is mostly heard in the anthemic "We´re from Keighley", but tracks like "Gods of Storm and Thunder" and the title track also feature that element.

While the music on "Legions of the Deep" are decidedly retro in sound and style, there´s a bite and conviction behind the delivery that provide the music with a freshness, that not all old school sounding artists have. These guys (and girl) simply kick ass in a manner that´s out of the ordinary. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.
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adg211288 wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Good review, I need to get around to reviewing this one myself soon, it set a good first impression.

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