Oh, what a nice surprise this one is! I didn't expect anything from this one, I only knew they were from Chile and that this is their 2nd full length album. Do not confuse this band with Sweden's satanic thrashers Bewitched.

Chile's Bewitched also play music that sounds like it's coming from the past. There's a note in a booklet: "the grimness of our 80s underground sound is a tribute..." and a long list of bands follows. Iit's no surprise that Candlemass, Mercyful Fate and King Diamond are mentioned! Bewitched sound very much like a mix of these and also some other 80s heavy metal legends. Music is varying enough, there's fast and slow songs, cold and warm ones (by which I mean funeral atmosphere and on the other hand more heroic tunes). Guitar really weeps and bleeds on 'Snowfall'! But it's unoriginal to start off your record with Orff's 'O Fortuna', hehe. Soundwise this is a tad powerless with no much lower end, but clean.

Doomicus's black metal style shrieks add a dimension of evilness to Bewitched's music. His clean vocals are something like King Diamond's and Messiah Marcolin's ones, but only much more worse sung. Female vocals on track 'Snowfall' are sung in Norwegian and this album definitely sounds quite Scandinavian music in a whole! Lyrics are doomy, pagan and also taking inspiration from Norwegian mythology.

Booklet's art is great with its dragons and gold print. It really gives something more than usual simple ones. Bonus tracks include Mercyful Fate -cover 'Black Funeral' (evil!) and a couple of remixes, which are good, but I'm not familiar with original versions (check out the last track's exorcism part!!!). Cool record for doom and heavy metal freaks with occult feeling.

Rating: 7 (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
03/25/2001 21:18