Craft of the witch

I was introduced to Witchcraft sometime in 2009 when I was dragged to their gig  (quite willingly, as they were playing with Graveyard and Pharaoh Overlord). I was initially struck by their varied sound and songs, ranging from more traditional rock ballads to crushing doom riffs, all fittingly accompanied by the voice of Magnus Pelander. Of course, the influences of a band that was first formed just as a one-off Pentagram tribute were quite obvious and distinctly part of their music, but since their formative years they had truly found a sound of their own. To provide a brief look into their past, here are two songs from that 2009 gig that really stuck in my head. One is actually their first own composition from 2002 and the other is from their third album The Alchemist, 2007:

After a rather long break, some line-up changes and a definite evolution of their sound, the band released a new album last year that I missed completely. Luckily a friend reminded me of the band's existence with a well-placed link and I was able to relive the feelings I had when I first heard them live. Be spellbound: