PURPLE HILL WITCH
Purple Hill Witch is:
- Kristian Ingvaldsen (vocals, guitar)
- Andreas Schafferer (bass) (Spectral Haze)
- Øyvind Kvam (drums) (Condor)
Norwegian doom metal band Purple Hill Witch has come out with their first full-length album after their debut EP Alchemy last year. I never had a chance to listen to the earlier release, so this was a very happy surprise to me, with no expectations at all. The first thing that came to mind as I was listening through the album and taking notes was how many references I made to Witchfinder General, and I will add Count Raven and Lord Vicar as influential on the Purple Hill Witch sound. Not only has Purple Hill Witch managed to capture some of the “Lord Chritus & Co” vibe on this record, they recently also toured with Lord Vicar. I also hear sections reminiscent of Sleep, Black Sabbath, and Pentagram—so how could I not like it? Let me take you through, track-by-track.
Queen of the Hill starts up slow and for a short moment the melody reminds me of the teasing sounds of a child (I might have to answer for that). About 4 minutes into the song, there is a lovely Sleep Dragonaut moment in the guitar. Kristian’s voice is very much reminding me of Zeeb Parke’s vocals.
Astral Booze is a track with plenty of Witchfinder/Sabbath reflections. A meeting in the skies sharing astral booze with a lady, or what she represents. “Have a smoke at the dawn of time. Baby, I’ll show you when the planets align.” Metaphor or just stargazing? I would dare to say that this will be many listeners’ favourite track. And it is the song I probably would put second on my favourite list. Very appealing in the way it gets stuck in your head.
The Final Procession is a soft number with a comfortable groove to it. I pick up a lot of Lord Vicar in this track, but with a different singer.
Karmanjaka has plenty of 70’s hard rock guitar. “Through the Karmafalls, across deserted planes, Tengil rides through on his mighty black horse.” For some reason Purple Hill Witch is making a song based on the famous children’s book, The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren. It’s quite a trippy story about exploring the afterlife. The song focuses especially on the evil Tengil and the dragon Katla.
The Landing—lots of Sabbath and Pentagram flavours to enjoy.
Aldebaranian Voyage (Into the Sun) is the one all-instrumental track on the album.
Purple Hill Witch is my favourite track of the album. The guitar playing seems inspired by Nordic folk music and leads me to think of bands like Burning Saviours, Witch, and Lucifer Was. Five minutes into the song, something happens—it all stops up a bit and changes into some kind of nightmare with a trippy harmonica that gives it a lovely, creepy sound. A real highlight of the album (this song is 9/10 for me).
In short, a very welcome album from Purple Hill Witch. A taste of NWOBHM in a traditional doom metal album, with plenty of 70’s vibe and an amazing bass player in Andreas Schafferer. All of my favourite doom bands seem to be an influence to this album and well-included as I listened to its bits and pieces. I pick out Sleep, Lord Vicar, Pentagram, Witchfinder General, Count Raven, Pagan Altar, Burning Saviours, and Lucifer Was, as known preferences. Still, they make their own thing well and the result is a really good album. A playfulness of talented musicians which lures me in to the hands of The Purple Hill Witch. I am under “her” spell. Refreshing.
D&S Rating: 8/10
Witch Miss Sabbath