It feels only right that Witch Fever’s grand entrance into the heavy music zeitgeist would take place in the runup to Halloween. Rife with horror-centric iconography, look no further for the perfect seasonal soundtrack; ‘Reincarnate’ is a captivating introduction to a band that are simply too exciting to ignore.
Opening with its titular track, ‘Reincarnate’s’ tone is established from the very beginning. The chugging riff erupting from Alisha Yarwood’s guitar is joined after a few bars by Annabelle Joyce on drums and then by Alex Thompson on bass just a few bars after that. The pace is set, pulses are raised and heads are suitably nodding along. Witch Fever’s sound is completed by lead vocalist Amy Walpole who jolts between singing, shouting and wailing, often without a moment’s notice. Perfectly exemplified in the outro of this first song, the band begin at a skulking pace, gradually raising the tempo until playing at a breakneck speed, finally bowing out after what is an undeniably hectic climax.
An element of Witch Fever’s dynamic that is especially intoxicating is their ability to effortlessly drop in doom metal influences that always threaten to detonate into something even louder and more raucous. Where their second single ‘In The Resurrect’ has a certain swagger about it that other tracks on the EP don’t necessarily boast, there is still ample room in the chorus for a colossal riff that inflicts an aggressive tonality that could be missing without those doomy aspects. The third and most recent single ‘In Birth’ continues the trend of brutal, grungy riffs and comes complete with a striking music video. With Walpole ending up soaked in blood à la Carrie at the prom, her face is one that basques in pleasure amongst the macabre and results in a video that is horrific in the best way possible.
Fundamentally, with this debut effort, Witch Fever are exercising their voices to promote expressions of empowerment and reclamation. Central to the Manchester outfit’s identity, all the way down to their name, the term “Witch Fever” references the mass hysteria that surrounded the infamous witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. The band argue that these trials were demonstrations of female suppression and diminishment. The aforementioned notions of reclamation can be heard particularly loud and clear in the closing track ‘Bully Boy’ with lyrics like, “Off with his head, let’s see how he burns” standing as just one example of many that champion this message.
A point to prove and the sound to back it up, Witch Fever have the world at their feet and, if ‘Reincarnate’ is just the beginning, then the future looks bright. While there isn’t necessarily a huge amount of variance on the EP, it serves perfectly as an outstanding blueprint firmly and assertively planted by a budding force to be reckoned with.
AARON JACKSON