17. Witchfynde Give ‘Em Hell 1980 (Lemon)
Heavy Metal
A black witch’s brew that actually kept Satan away!
Album
The first of at least a dozen NWOBHM or NWOBHM related albums to feature on this year’s list and the album certainly keeps in line with the ‘do-it-yourself’ ethos of the NWOBHM movement. The Witchfynde debut was a great example of a home-made production that actually sounded clear, which is more than its proto-black metal album cover might have suggested and I’m sure Venom were zooming in here! Witchfynde though were far from true metallists and were the perfect example of a band that were grouped under the NWOBHM banner, largely because their Black Sabbath inspired satanic themes and matching stage show, came under the blanket of what partly characterized the NWOBHM. In reality though the band lacked the sonically charged metal of their NWOBHM counterparts and showed a stronger influence from mainstream rock and also progressive rock (much like bargain basement Manilla Road) but the band were able to do enough musically to pass as a metal band and their faux-satanic lyrics further helped their cause as well. The album cover suggested something demonic about the band, but underneath melody was the watchword and this can be heard on the catchy opening duo of “Ready to Roll” and “The Divine Victim” songs which cover similar ground to both the Diamond Head and Angel Witch debuts (both much further up the list) The album’s best known track “Leaving Nadir” and its following “Getting’ Heavy” are tracks that fail to follow the typical pace of your average NWOBHM song. The showpiece track of the album is “Unto the Ages of Ages” and shows the proggy scope of the band, but sadly the album is finally let down by one track the pretty dreadful closer ”Pay Now Love Later”. There’s also an expansive edition of the album released in 2004 which increases the album by around another 15 minutes!
Give ‘Em Hell is a good album with some competent playing especially by guitarist Montalo, along with the highly distinctive vocals of Steve Bridges, it’s also a fringe NWOBHM album despite the band’s discernible image and makes an interesting piece in the NWOBHM explosion of 1980. Witchfynde though were sadly a prime example of a new band trying to flood the market circa 1980 with albums, in an attempt to make their own commercial breakthrough and to appease the record label’s desire to milk their new ‘metal cash cow’. As Witchfynde soon released their second album also in 1980
Stagefright, which sadly turned out to be a largely bland and uninspired straight-forward metal album, that displayed none of the charms of their fresher sounding debut despite having the mean "Wake Up Screaming" track.