BEWITCHED Rise Of The Antichrist (2002) CD

Sweden gave us ABBA and then, as if to atone, gave us Bewitched. Rise of the Antichrist is exactly what it says on the tin, a snarling, petrol-soaked collision of black metal grimness and classic thrash swagger that sounds like it was written in a rehearsal room that smelled of leather and cigarettes.

Bewitched never got the full recognition they deserved outside of tape-trading circles and underground zines, but anyone who dug deep into the Swedish black/thrash scene of the late nineties and early 2000s knows this band were doing it with more personality than most. Rise of the Antichrist lands in their later catalogue with fists up, keeping the dark aesthetic raw and the riffs sharp. Pure evil for the vinyl devotee who also owns a CD player out of spite.

Format: CD. Full length studio album. Released 2002. Country of origin: Sweden. Genre: Black/Thrash/Power Metal.

Fans of: Gospel of the Horns, Nocturnal Breed, Midnight, Urn, Aura Noir.