The band had arrived on the doorstep of the beginning of what would become known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and the style of music they had begun to create seemed right for the era. Their first song to bring them to mainstream prominence was “Baphomet”, which was included on the compilation album that was to launch many of the bands of the era, “Metal for Muthas”. For those that haven’t delved back that far, you can find the review of that album on episode #10 of this podcast. That song brought the band a great deal of publicity, which brought with it an offer of a recording deal with EMI. The band released their first single through them, with the song “Sweet Danger” creating a record, lasting one week in the UK singles charts at the lowest position the charts ran to, #75. After this, the band through their manager walked away from the EMI deal, citing not wanting to hand the band over to professional management which EMI had asked for. In a recent interview, Heybourne said: “We were actually one of the last bands to get signed from the rest of the NWOBHM bunch, but we were offered a deal by EMI. But I didn’t want to do it, mainly because Maiden had already been signed. The other guys in the band really wanted to do it, but the guy that was managing us at the time said, ‘Do you really want to be under the shadow of a band that have already made it?’ Maiden got a big deal. So we walked away from that. I don’t regret it. You can’t go back and change it.”
Instead, the band signed to the more low-key Bronze Records, who at the time were Motorhead’s record label. They had played live on the BBC Friday Rock Show in March 1980, playing four songs. Continuing to play live through this period, they kept attracting big crowds and rave reviews, but needed to have an album out to promote to continue that progress moving forward. Recording the album in the back third of the year, its release finally saw the culmination of 18 months hard work come to its fruition in the form of the self-titled debut album of “Angel Witch”
The album kicks off with the self-titled eponymous title track... one that we’ll come back to at the conclusion of this review, because to start off with it might overshadow everything that comes after it. Because in many ways that has been the greatness and the curse of this album. But following it is “Atlantis”, one that delves away from the bright and breezy opening track to coil itself around the darker and heavier tones that parts of this album contain. The heavier drumbeats from Dave Hogg come to bear along with the riveting guitar riff that continues at a similar speedy rate as the opening track. Heybourne again showcases what he brings to his music vocally, offering dual layered vocals through what can be interpreted as the chorus along with what becomes a trademark shriek. This is another momentum builder which sparks the beginning of the album. “White Witch” offers our second season of the witch in the first three tracks. The song bounces along at a solid tempo, with the drums and bass rhythm solidly holding together while Heybourne sings and cries over the top. The middle breakdown of the track brings similarities to another NWoBHM alumni in Diamond Head and their song “Sucking My Love” which has a similar structure and sound throughout. Unlike that song, this one runs for under half the running time, and is a solid track once again, bringing together the best parts of what makes this such an interesting album.
“Confused” talks about mental challenges and the pressure of an anguished mental status, bringing a different them to the lyrics and thus the feelings brought out of the track. The riff and solo combination through the middle of the song and into the conclusion is some of Heybourne’s best work, and offsets the slightly off-putting lyrics and vocals by finishing off the song in strong fashion. From here we move to “Sorcerers” to take us lyrically back into the world that Heybourne has been drawing on for the album so far. Perhaps not the work of the great lyricists of our time, but the song itself is well constructed, growing from the clear guitar beginning with a dramatic feel to the cause, and building in intensity into the middle of the song, and completed by another great riff and solo from Heybourne along with a wonderful bassline from Riddles underneath that gives the second half of this track a terrific finish. There is a lot to like about this song, one that you feel could have been better with a few refinements, but it still completes the first side of the album on a good note.
The second side opens up with “Gorgon”, delving into the mythology of the being, with Heybourne’s lyrics once again warning us of the peril of messing with this creature. Musically the song again is very good, with the basic structure that has worked on the album to this point being utilised again, an upbeat tempo framed by the verses and with the solo break in the middle and conclusion of the track. The music is bouncy rather than headbanging, and the segueing between the heavier sections to the progressive is still as fascinating as it must have been on the album’s release. “Sweet Danger” that follows was the first single released from the album, and it does have a commercial feel about it without compromising the band’s principal sound. It races along at the kind of speed that works perfectly for the band, and doesn’t extend Heybourne’s vocal range, while Riddles bass and Hogg’s drumming tick along like clockwork. This then morphs into the ballad of the album, “Free Man”, where the music mirrors where these types of tracks look for. The breakdown in the middle holds true to its purpose, while Heybourne’s solo is wonderfully composed for such a track. It is not a true ballad in the sense of the word because the progressiveness of the song allows it to drive along with nough power to compensate for its obvious target. And Kevin Riddles bass on this track is outstanding, indeed it is the star attraction on this song. “Angel of Death” draws us back into the overarching lyrical concept that the majority of this album follows in a more traditional hard and heavy musical metamorphosis. And the album concludes with “Devil’s Tower”, the instrumental outro that is a slightly oblique way of bringing to a close an album that has lots of different pieces about it.
So now we return to the opening title track. From accounts at the time and since, Heybourne felt that “Angel Witch” the song was too lightweight a song to be included on the album surrounded by the vibe of the other songs he had written. In a recent interview Heybourne said: “I honestly didn’t think about doing the song for the album, but everyone said it had to be a bloody single! The producer said, ‘It’s got to be done!’ so that happened. It evolved in the studio, actually. I changed a few bits and shortened it, because it used to be much longer with three verses and an extremely long solo, which I call ‘practising on stage’” Released as a single just prior to the album’s release, it became the band’s strike weapon. Heybourne said: “There was a big push from the record company when it was released as a single. So people knew it and they expected it and it ended up that we had to play it. I think at one point we were doing it twice, at the beginning of the set and at the end! That was stupid, really. But yeah, as a song, it’s basically nailed to my back!”
As an album from a standalone perspective, there is a bit to unpack and a bit to take in. It isn’t an album that will drag you in from the first time you listen to it. Indeed, it is the kind of album, in this modern day, that is more likely to turn off prospective listeners on one listen. Was that the case on its release? It’s a difficult question to answer from this point in time. But it is also an album that is a grower. The more you listen to it, the more you can discern the varying styles that Heybourne uses on the songs on this album. So it is definitely not one to be dismissed immediately if you are just coming to the Angel Witch party.
About fifteen years ago as I record this episode, the lack of a steady supply of new material from my favourite artists and the inconsistent flow of listenable material from new artists had brought me to the conclusion that I needed to find another outlet for my musical disposition. In this regard, I made a decision to go back in time, and track down some of the albums that were either an influence or a part of the very beginnings of the heavy metal genre, especially those who were a part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Some of these were at the time still very difficult to locate, but occasionally my digging in record stores and online stores brought forth some gold, and that is what occurred when I finally found this album.
It is still hard to believe that this album on its release did not drive the band to further success. Certainly the production of the album mirrors what was happening to all of the debut albums released by bands of this era, and it is also filled with great drum fills, guitar riffs and soaring vocals. Listening to an album released in 1980 for the first time in 2013, which is when I first heard this album, means that I couldn’t possibly have the same reaction to it as I would have as a teenager in the 1980's. More's the pity, as I would love to have done so. If I had heard this album back in the final years of high school in the 1980’s, I think this would be extremely highly rated by me now. But even with that being the case, I can't help but enjoy this album. The energy through every song is contagious. While it was probably seen as being much darker on its release than it would now, you can hear the roots of thrash and metal in these songs. Ven though the title track is the band’s best known song, almost everything here still holds up in some way when you listen to the album and accepting its flaws. And it does have some, but how harshly are you going to judge it on those? In the long run, that will determine how much you enjoy the album.
I have had my remastered vinyl copy out in the Metal Cavern for the past few days, reliving this album all over again. And it still has so much to enjoy. If I was to ponder what could be done to make this a better album, I think that on the whole the songs structures are pretty good. Sure, some of the lyrics are a bit laughable but each genre of music has that. Reliving the production, and trying to eliminate the stereotypical muddy sound that so many of the albums of the era suffer from would have helped, as would tightening the songs and giving the bass more of its due. But, as always, what would I know. There is also a criticism of Heybourne’s vocals in some quarters, but I think they sound more than adequate. Not everyone is a Dickinson or a Halford, and judging a band or album purely on the vocals can often miss what the music underneath offers.
The one thing that does come to mind here are the B-side tracks of the singles that didn't make this album. “Extermination Day” is a great track that should surely have been included here. “Baphomet” that appeared on “Metal for Muthas” should have been on here. “Hades Paradise”, “Flight 19”, “Loser”, “Suffer”, “Dr Phibes”. All songs that could have been considered. They are all a part of the 30th anniversary release of this album, and are worth listening to if you are a fan.
This album should have been the start of a solid recording and touring career for the band. Instead, like many bands of the NWoBHM revolution, they were unable to turn a great debut album into a career. The band eventually broke up following this album’s release, only to be revitalised not long after, a story you can find on this podcast on episode #131 that talks about the band’s belated sophomore album “Screamin’ and Bleedin’” where I go into more detail. Angel Witch of course is still out there today, 45 years on, and still making a go of it. They may not have had the mega success that Iron maiden achieved with THEIR signing to EMI Records, but they have this debut album, one that still has lots of great material that is worth revisiting.
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