WITCHKING – Hand Of Justice

Something is stirring in the east – something metallic which is bound to give Metal fans great joy. It seems, Poland is a new force in Metal now when it comes to labels and releases. One of those new labels that you Metalheads should check out is Insanity Records. They only published a little more than a handful of albums, and it is very likely that this one, Hand Of Justice from Witchking, may be the first you encounter, but it will probably not be the last.

After having released their first album on French label Aural Offerings Records the Polish band returns now with their sophomore album called Hand Of Justice which is positively timeless. In times when everybody is looking for the next big thing, and innovation is mandatory to get critical acclaim, it is a rare pleasure to find a band and an album that just does not care about those conventions and returns to the roots, delivering pure Heavy Metal. Witchking is doing exactly that, but they do it according to today’s quality standards of composing and recording, so one does not have to put up with garage sounds and stereotypical tracks. Although the style is old fashioned, neither sound nor compositions really are.

A general description would have to be “straight Power Metal with Thrash influences”, but that would not do it justice. It is straight, alright, but only in the sense that it is to the point, delivering the Metal goods; and it is Power Metal, but raw and with great melodies, a bit like early Iced Earth, for which the same description would be fitting. Yet, the albums have a magic which cannot be found in those few, simple words. This is also the case with Hand Of Justice, albeit the ingredients are everything but unusual, the album is more than the sum of its parts, it is a work that hangs onto your CD player.

Except for the intro, the album contains ten tracks without a ballad, which would be rather unfitting anyway. The guitar work alternates between simple chords and Jeff Waters-esque string feats, giving some tracks a bit of an Annihilator feel, especially “The Third One”. Since the band draws their influences from 80s and British Metal, the best description of the Polish quintet is a jam session of Jeff Waters and Judas Priest, and just to spice things up, Jon Schaffer sticks his head in.

There really is not much else to say, highlighting songs does not make much sense. There is no weak song on the album, but everybody will probably have different favorite tracks, which may even change with time. It is an enjoyable listen from beginning to end, so it is your loss if you do not check the website of Witchking, as they offer several tracks for download. If you like your Metal traditional, you are going to purchase a new album soon.