Friend or foe? (Friends Of Hell - Witchfinder General)

Member Name: dangaroo

Product:	Friends Of Hell - Witchfinder General
Date:	21/11/08 (18 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Still got a groovy sound

Disadvantages: Not a lot of excellent material

Friends of Hell was the not so known doom metal band Witchfinder General's 2nd album - originally released in 1983. It starts off with the track "Love on Smack" which sounds very similar to "No Stayer" from the band's debut album. This is a theme that goes throughout the album as the band seemed to have released an album which sounds like the leftovers of the first. The regurgatated work is stilll reasonable as the old school doom metal riffs are rather powerful combined with the singer's (Zeeb Parkes) Ozzy Osburne like howling vocals.

The worst track seems to be I lost You, where as moving as the lyrics maybe, the vocals are torturingly out of tune. I like Witchfinder General, their sound is enjoyable and if you are a fan this may still appeal but the album is without any of the classic tracks of the first "Death Penalty", "Witchfinder General", "Burning a Sinner" and "No Stayer" which is basically just wall to wall superb tracks and I therefore recommend any newbies to the band to by the album "Death Penalty" first.

It's not a bad album but seems quickly put together on the back of the first album and lacks any really class.

1. "Love on Smack" - 4:10
2. "Last Chance" - 3:50
3. "Music" - 3:05
4. "Friends of Hell" - 6:12
5. "Requiem for Youth" - 4:35
6. "Shadowed Images" - 4:15
7. "I Lost You" - 2:55
8. "Quietus Reprise" - 6:20
9. "Outro" - :38

Summary: A bit of a disappointment