Angel Witch includes: Kevin Heybourne (vocals, guitar); Kevin Riddles (keyboards, bass, background vocals); Dave Hogg (drums, percussion).
This reissue packs on 10 solid B-sides and outtakes, highlighted by the blazing "Flight Nineteen" and "Hades Paradise," the latter of which is a clear blueprint for early Megadeth. Also of note for collectors is the almost Alice Cooper-like glam of long-lost single "Loser."
Personnel: Kevin Heybourne (vocals, guitar); Kevin Riddles (keyboards, bass guitar, background vocals); Dave Hogg (drums, percussion).
Liner Note Author: Dave Ling.
Recording information: 02/20/1980.
Often overlooked as a progenitor of Britain's late-1970s metal movement in favor of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest et al., Angel Witch's eponymous debut was nonetheless a satisfying slice of Sabbath-influenced doom riffs, lyrical mysticism, and arena-ready twin-guitar melodies. For the most part, however, ANGEL WITCH delivers on tried-and-true trashing and slashing.
The British heavy metal rebirth of the late '70s and early '80s provided more than its share of impressive headbangers. A product of the scene that also gave the world Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Saxon, Girlschool, and Diamond Head, Angel Witch wasn't a huge commercial success in the U.S., but enjoyed a loyal underground following in England and Europe. This superb debut album was the band's finest hour. Melodic yet forceful and intense, classics like "Sorceress," "White Witch," and "Angel of Death" illustrate Angel Witch's artistic debt to fellow Britons Judas Priest, Rainbow, and Black Sabbath. The Londoners' lyrics are consistently gothic and underscore their interest in the occult, a subject that has caught the interest of more than a few metalheads. American headbangers who haven't experienced the pleasures of Angel Witch owe it to themselves to hear this metal classic. ~ Alex Henderson minimize