Casually browsing Amazon the other day as one does I was pleasantly surprised to see hidden away somewhere the cover for Give ‘Em Hell by Witchfynde. Something I never thought I’d hear again though always wished I might.
My fingers instantly hit the order button and the reissued CD arrived through the letter box today. So thirty years after I had the aural pleasure of listening to this classic I was able to slap it in to the CD player and be transported back in time three decades. Amazing.
Witchfynde is another of those early NWOBHM acts which were that weeks’ next big thing and if I remember correctly (probably don’t) I hurried along to the branch of Bradleys records in Sheffield to bag my copy of Give ‘Em Hell on good old fashioned vinyl. Then on getting home driving the parents’ mad by cranking up the volume and giving them hell…..!
So what a pleasure it was to hear those riffs again today and the anthemic chant of the title track. You may be surprised that although it is a dark, brooding platter the range of musical styles ranges from flat out New Wave of British Heavy Metal a-la Sabbath and Priest in to more progressive territory and back again. Bits are Rush-like even. And can you spot some particular riff which is almost identical to one of the most iconic riffs of all time that wouldn’t be written until a few years after Give ‘Em Hell was issued?
Sure – the production is a bit muddy in places and the vocals are not the best however this is a bona-fide milestone from the old days and an essential to any metal fan’s collection.
Here they are playing a local WMC last year and still quite sprightly.
To those who do (or don’t) remember – Witchfynde are/were one of the NWOBHM founding fathers arising in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire in the mid-1970s. Hard work and gigging laid the foundations and as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal arrived and the band hitched a ride.
They were undoubtedly talented and had the chops as shown by that monumental debut album. There problem was that they signed to a small label with limited resources and financing and when the big labels came knocking the independent wouldn’t release Witchfynde from their contract so those bigger opportunities were lost.
They slogged on without major label support with a few albums issued though less numerous than the line-up changes. Interest waned and Witchfynde faded in to obscurity. There was a reunion in 1999 and even a new album in 2008 and a reissue of their back catalogue.
And even today they appear at the occasional gig or festival. Who knows what Witchfynde may or may not do in the future – here’s still plenty to enjoy from their past.
The landmark Give ‘Em Hell reissue comes with unreleased bonus track and can be currently had for a bargain price. I do suggest you check it out either to do what I did and remember the good old days or to introduce yourself to an almost lost gem. Your choice…….