Witchsorrow : " No Light, Only Fire"

This is the third full length from this trio out of England. Witchsorrow  has a wide range from the almost In Solitude like proto-thrash they open the album with to the more dismal doom like rumble that crashes down on 'the Martyr" these guys are not a one trick pony.It is a little odd for me that they sound awkward going into the more up tempo ending of this song after opening the album with more a thrash feel. The more mid-tempo thump of "Made of the Void" is to lively to really be doom. The vocals are not growled , but not as dramatic in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal sense as In Solitude there is some punk attitude about them. He calls out the song title in a chant, not really a melodic hook , but it works for their sound.  Once they make it to "Negative Utopia" it feels as if they are trying to establish their footing more solidly on doomy ground. The guitar becomes more melodic and carries the mournful quality the genre demands. Singer Necroskull gives a more solid attempt to sing on this one. His voice strains , but this gives it character and more of a punk feel.

"To the Gallows" finds the genres blended in a manner more like Primordial. They carry an almost power metal chug to their trashing."Disaster Reality" finds them relaxing into a darker place by letting the song breathe more as they go into a more doom ridden place. The vocals have more of a dark punk grit to them, than anything that really feels metal to me. At eleven minutes it might have the dynamic depth you might think is needed to keep it from dragging , but does seem to posses the most honest anger expressed on the album making it feel like on of the albums heaviest songs.They close the album with an fourteen minute monster. The guitar solo that comes in add some sonic dynamics to what other wise is a song that pounds its path in a grim yet straightforward manner.

These guys are doing their own thing, even if they are on the fence as to where their heart lies. I'll give this album an 8, the vocals come to a solid middle ground to make the songs interesting and the thrash parts do hit the right punches in some cases. They get a lot of credit for not hoping on  the nearest bandwagon even though they are within earshot of a few.