This is the eighth album from Swedish blackened thrash metal band Witchery.
Witchery always tend to release an enjoyable record, (such as 2016’s In His Infernal Majesty’s Service and 2017’s I Am Legion), and their latest one continues this trend. Five years since their last album, Nightside, (which features members of bands such as The Haunted, and Lik), is a 36-minute concept album.
Witchery’s dark thrash is powered by bloody riffs and furious drumming. The band’s songs are largely short and aggressive, but not without texture or character. The songs are strong and well-written, with plenty of hooks and catchy moments. The album is quite diverse for this sort of style, with a variety of paces and moods explored across its running time.
Malevolent blackened groove is strong in places, like the infernal Left Hand March. This song also allows the band to showcase some of their more atmospheric elements, as does a cut like Storm of the Unborn. Then we have more direct tracks like Popecrusher and A Forest of Burning Coffins that are all about the lethal speed and thrash brutality, (the latter track features the singer of Carcass). There are also abundant classic metal influences, (Crucifix and Candle, for example). There is a confident rock and roll swagger to some of the material, and this merges with the blackened groove very well, (tracks like Don’t Burn the Witch exemplify this). The closing title track is slow and moody, but with monstrous presence.
Nightside is a really enjoyable album. Witchery have put a lot of time and effort into this release and it pays off handsomely.
Highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 
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