By Phil Cooper
When thinking of Singapore, your mind probably goes to the glitz and glamour of the Formula One, the architectural excellence of the Marina Bay Hotel, the stunning and futuristic Gardens or the exotic wildlife. Thanks to Witchseeker and their second album, ‘Scene of The Wild’, we can now look to add in rough and ready heavy metal too. Sheikh Spitfire originally set out for Witchseeker to be a one-man project in 2012. However, since then it has now grown to a quartet with Spitfire handling bass and vocal duties while being joined by Brandon Speedranger and Nick Strombringer on guitars and Aip Sinner on drums. They’ve created a healthy buzz within their local scene and 2017’s debut ‘When the Clock Strikes’ saw their fanbase grow. This second full length should serve to strengthen the bands reputation and act as a catalyst for wider recognition.
Opening with the title track, ‘Scene of The Wild’ immediately showcases the influences of the musicians involved. Galloping harmonised guitars mixed with a relentless rhythm section creates a sound that harkens back to the 80’s NWOBHM output. The vocal stylings owe a bit more to a sunset strip swagger with delivery and lyrical content, but they’ve got it to match very well. As the album progresses into ‘Lust for Dust’ and ‘Sin City’, there’s a raw aggression of traditional heavy metal given a sneering strut by the vocals. The latter features a well worked staccato introduction that builds into a descending guitar line before kicking into a full band sound with the aforementioned galloping guitar riffs leading the charge. It’s very difficult to not get swept along with the pace and power that Witchseeker are displaying. While it’s not the most technical, the song structure and individual instruments combine to create a highly enjoyable track. The dual guitar solo marks one of many high points of the album.
Other highs of the album include the sing along nature of tracks like ‘Nights in Tokyo’, with its audience friendly “whoas”, and ‘Screaming in The Moonlight’. Which features a call and response like pre-chorus leading to a repeated chorus section. ‘Candle In The Dark’ incorporates a highly charged melodic riff that build on its hooks and becomes one of the catchiest tracks on the album which will lead to many repeat plays. The overall mix of the album reflects the genre and instrument presentation, it’s heavy on the guitars making them a prominent feature. However, this does not lead to any detriment to the bass, drum or vocal delivery. Everything is blended to deliver the high energy traditional heavy metal sound that Witchseeker have concocted. It enables the infectious energy of the music to be accentuated. Song-writing is fairly straight forward lyrically but that’s not necessarily a negative, it again matches the genre and fits with the instrument delivery. Texture wise, it’s a flat-out wall of noise that doesn’t compromise but with the previously mentioned mix working in its favour there’s no muddying, when time signatures or dynamics change it is all clearly audible and the composition of the whole album flows well.
There’s a lot to enjoy her., ‘Scene of The Wild’ is a straight up denim and leather album and doesn’t try to hide this. The four-piece are clearly having fun and want to get that across which they do with great effect.
- ‘Scene of The Wild’ is released on Friday (26 March). You can get your copy HERE.
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