If, like me, you are of a certain age then you will have experienced the great pleasure of trawling record racks for underground gems in the vinyl sections of independent music stores looking for albums to add to your collection and outdo your mates on their obscurity. One such trawl enabled me to find this US band’s debut album ‘Syzygial Miscreancy’ in 1990 and with no way of hearing the album before you bought it, it was pure luck if it was decent or not. I bought the album purely because I liked their band name but also it had very tacky artwork, so what was not to like, added to that when I looked on the back sleeve I saw it had been recorded at Morrisound with Scott Burns lending a hand so I was sold.

Hellwitch bridged the thrash and death genres extremely well and whilst I’d heard far heavier albums coming from the US back then their blend of deathrash was definitely appealing and something the band continued with through the subsequent years even though they only released one further full length in 2009 called ‘Omnipotent Convocation’ which has a much improved production as you’d expect. Scattered around the first two albums are various demos, compilation, EPs etc before the band now finally delivers their third full length some 14 years after the last one, though the band has been far from inactive in that time it appears. Pat Ranieri (guitarist and vocalist) is the sole remaining original member from the very start but closely followed by guitarist J.P. Brown who joined in 1994 and completed by drummer Brian Wilson who joined the duo in 2015. So history lesson over and onto the actual album.

As you’d expect modern production techniques bring about modernised styling and whilst the core deathrash of the band is firmly intact the end result is something heavier and crossing further into death metal territory, though I couldn’t determine whether the band used a session bassist for the recording despite the release having plenty of weight in that area. Opening track ‘Solipsistic Immortality V1-2496-Stream’ is closer to the band’s debut album than the sophomore and if one thing strikes you about this release, it is the ultra-sharp riffing blended to outright speed bursts. There’s plenty of technicality here too, courtesy of the twin guitar attack as the blurring blasts add a ton of impetus. There is a causticity to the guitar sound too, and when linked to the hostile screamed vocals, that for some reason reminded me of Overkill’s Blitz, the resulting savagery is very cool indeed. At times listening to this album my mind drifted to the late 80s technical thrash exploits of acts such as Coroner and Ripping Corpse as clearly the band has focused their song writing on the riffs and hooks that completely saturate the songs.

‘Delegated Disruption’ continues after the opener and the drum fill start allows the song to gather focus before the subsequent blast is tempered by a technical thrash workout. The speed detonations are excellent giving fans of retro styled deathrash plenty to sink their teeth into. Every song is extremely catchy despite the warp speed velocity mirrored by the band’s unique ability to pen some very quirky riffs like on ‘Megalopalyptic Confine’ with its Slayeresque lead break insertions. Having a song named after your band name is nothing new and Hellwitch honour theirs with a blurring assault following a very short interlude piece. The thrash credentials maybe subtle on this album but they are there, the ease with which the band switches between the genres is commendable as the riffs are flung out endlessly, but it is the way they sequence everything into one cohesive listen that makes the album great to listen to.

‘Epochal Cessation’, I love these song titles by the way, especially the tongue twisting style they have when you say them, as the drum start is coupled to some wah wah like guitar work that had me scribbling down Possessed from their ‘Beyond The Gates’ era. The tempo switch is excellent, something the band does a lot, sometimes smoothly sometimes very abruptly but always effective as the song harks back to the 80s. Clocking the seven minute mark is ‘Anthropophagi’ which blasts in immediately before then going back to how thrash albums used to construct long songs with acoustic guitar work producing an emotive stance. The slower pacing works extremely well too, affording the tune an epic flavour that ebbs and flows, though I think a cleaner vocal style would have been better, but is a minor point considering the songs cracking riff break and incendiary speed burst. The song weaves around the core riff by inserting various riff changes and vocals that here do take on a cleaner tone as the song continually morphs into new realms.

‘At Rest’ follows and continues the technical aplomb but saturates the song with high velocity drum work and acerbic vocals that have a snarling tone before the album ends with ‘Torture Chamber’. Fans of the band will recognise the title being one of the songs on the bands 1986 demo ‘Transgressive Sentience’. The version is over a minute longer with an elongated intro phase that links with the songs main riff. The sound is wholly improved of course and even if you prefer the demo version you cannot deny the power of that riff the song has with that completely savage vocal style.

A fine third album from Hellwitch and if the name isn’t too familiar then I suggest you give this album a listen then track down the others as you won’t be disappointed.

(8.5/10 Martin Harris)

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https://listenable-records.bandcamp.com/album/annihilational-intercention