Earlier today I received a press release with some excellent news indeed – More Witchfynde….! Here is is:
Back in the earliest days of the musical movement that became New Wave of British Heavy Metal there was Witchfynde.
In Autumn 1979 the band’s 4 members Montalo, Gra Scoresby, Steve Bridges and Andro Coulton entered Fairview Studios, Hull, England and recorded the tracks that became a mainstay of the NWOBHM scene.
The resulting album Give ’em Hell has been cited as an influence to some of the biggest bands that followed in the Heavy Metal world. Andro left Witchfynde in 1980 and formed the doom laden Malleus who finally recorded their debut album some 39 years later in 2019.
But, it’s his history in Witchfynde that pulls interest time and again back to Andro. The original Witchfynde band are now on a prolonged hiatus and it has fallen to Andro with the full support and blessing of the Witchfynde camp, to continue the live offering of the classic songs from Give ‘em Hell with his band Andro Coulton’s Witchfynde.
Such has been the appetite for ACW live that the band have decide to enter the studio in 2022 and record for the first time pre Give ‘em Hell Witchfynde songs that were mainstays of the ealry live sets. Some of the songs set for studio treatment have seen the light of day on live bootlegs and also Witchfynde The Lost Tapes, but, these new recordings will be the first full production studio recordings of songs that forged the reputation of Witchfynde!
In Andro’s own words. ‘There will be, firstly, Why Dontcha and Twilight Lady from the Live Sacrifice, plus 4 from a live recording I have obtained from the Brimington Tavern Chesterfield October 1978. They are Sisters Of Fate (neither I nor Steve remember it!!), Sword of All Swords, (a long epic track), Show a Little More and another epic with a bass solo that I don’t know the title of. Plus we are working on Grimoire, Halfway and Valkyrian Ride at least from The Lost Tapes as they need bringing up to date.’
This recording and release will be a must hear for fans of Witchfynde, NWOBHM and Heavy Metal in general. Andro Coulton’s Witchfynde also return to the stage on 1st July when the headline Retribution Alive’s – Maryland Metalfest at the Birthplace of Iron Maiden Cart & Horses Stratford.
ACW in the studio, on stage and ready to Give ‘em Hell….
Whilst waiting for this – check out Witchfynde’s classic Give Em Hell from the good old days:
https://amzn.to/3tVs38x