More about: Witch Fever

Witch Fever have been rocking the boat of the live music scene for some years now with their loud, riff-heavy sound and their challenging lyrics, and so this debut album feels like a point of arrival as well as a new start. Congregation makes no compromise, taking Witch Fever’s hardcore-adjacent punk to the studio without softening any edges. It is a record that starts on a loud note and ends on an even more powerful one, channeling anger, defiance, pride, and so much more.

All of the band’s distinctive features, which have made them such a powerful act to witness live, are distilled in this record, from vocalist Amy Walpole’s trademark delivery, ranging from roaring to scratchy, from ragged to defiant – to the haunting, relentless bass lines and the hammering, dirty guitar riffs. Perhaps most importantly, the lyrics take centre stage, telling a tale of refusal to conform and pointing an accusing finger at society’s dirty deeds. One must only look at some sample words from lead single ‘Blessed Be Thy’ to get a feel for this album’s cutting mood: “Blessed be thy shame / It makes us remember truth / A slow decline, the cursed divine / A place to hang your youth”.

Reminiscent in parts of the early HC glories of GBH and the Exploited, but with a contemporary spin which makes it more than clear that non-male voices have a front-line place in hardcore punk, Congregation cements Witch Fever as true protagonists in the hard’n’heavy UK scene.

Congregation is out October 21st.

Grab your copy of the Gigwise print magazine here.

More about: Witch Fever