There is no shadow of doubt Wytch Hazel are a unique band not only for their iconography, but mostly for their sonancy. The thematic the band embraced, religiosity, has been explored a lot, however, the verve the band chose, Christianity, had not. Wytch Hazel‘s lyrical content is very much oriented by themes of Christianity even though the band does not claim to be a Christian band.
Interestingly, their albums have a sequence of tittles initiated by 2016s “Prelude,” followed by the 2018s sophomore album, titled “II: Sojourn;” then comes in 2020, “III: Pentecost,” and finally 2023s “IV: Sacrament.” All of them with a strong Christian iconography, but make no mistake, Wytch Hazel are not White Metal or the likes.
Musicwise, “V: Lamentations” follows the band’s hodgepodge of elements from 1970s Hard Rock to 1980s Heavy Metal, and many others in-between. Some may say they are Proto-Metal; others may include them into the Psychedelic Rock pantheon. Truth be told, Wytch Hazel recreate a late 1970s atmosphere when many of the elements aforementioned were present in many bands. Foreigner, Boston, and Asia are the bands that created the called Soft Hard Rock – many know as Melodic Hard Rock -, which is Hard Rock with lots of melodies and sugarcoated ballads. The difference is the more serious thematic whose prone does not fit to be pop. The guitars are still distorted, and sometimes high, but they are mixed a bit lower than the usual giving vocals, and melody, the prominence. Well, years later, the formula works fine for Wytch Hazel. The bolder might call them NWOBHM due to the twin guitars, which would not be totally wrong. The guitars of album welcomer “I Lament” and its following track “Run the Race” tell this tale to the fan. As I wrote while reviewing 2018s “II: Soujorn,” from where I am standing, the album addresses to Saracen “Heroes, Saints and Fools.”
Well, “V: Lamentations” delivers a kind of music I truly appreciate a lot, so, no hard feelings about it. For many, the album lacks aggression, which I happen to concur, however, Wytch Hazel compensate it with high doses of melody and very well-built songs that embrace the fan.
Wytch Hazel “V: Lamentations” will be released on July 04th via Bad Omen Records (North American Distribution: Metal Blade Records).
Track Listing:
01. I Lament
02. Run the Race
03. The Citadel
04. Elements
05. The Demon Within
06. Racing Forwards
07. Elixir
08. Woven
09. Heavy Load
10. Healing Power
Watch “Elements” official music video:
I’m just a lucky guy who has chosen metal to live with for a long time. Metal changed my life for good. It made me more confident and stronger. Metalheads are naturally far away from the mass mediocrity and don’t accept impostures from anybody else. Metal is more than music, it’s a life changing oportunity!