out this weekend: Witchwood -- legacy-style 1970s progressive heavy rock

The music of Witchwood (Italy) takes the listener back in time to the 1970s. Maybe they will remind some listeners of the spirit of Deep Purple, and Uriah Heep and perhaps some U.S. Southern rock. The good quality of the music and of the recording itself stands out immediately. The most important thing to know for people that are new to this band is the album's high quality, and it is a very seriously put together work to which fans of 1970s heavy rock should give consideration. The album has a lot offer and it takes time to unpack it all, but it is a very entertaining listen. Given that readers here in the U.S. may not know too much about the band, read the official information below from Jolly Roger Records. It will help to understand why this band is so good at their craft of vintage proto-metal, doom, prog rock, blues rock, hard rock, classic rock or whatever other categories it is that fans like to use to describe Witchwood. --Metal Bulletin Zine.

Witchwood

Before the Winter

Jolly Roger Records

20 November 2020

01 Anthem For A Child 5:24

02 A Taste Of Winter 5:02

03 Feelin' 4:12

04 A Crimson Moon 5:07

05 Hesperus 8:35

06 No Reason To Cry 4:51

07 Nasrid 4:20

08 Crazy Little Lover 7:44

09 Slow Colours Of Shade 10:42

10 Child Star [LP bonus track / Marc Bolan cover] 6:41

This is the official informaiton from Jolly Rogers Records: Jolly Roger Records is proud to present Witchwood's highly anticipated third album, Before the Winter, on November 20th worldwide. The album will be available on CD, double-vinyl with gatefold cover and one bonus track, and digital formats. Vinyl colors will be 100 copies on silver wax (exclusive JRR), 100 on mustard wax (exclusive Kozmik Artifactz), and 100 on yellow (exclusive Fu.zu.l. Records).

In 2014, from the ashes of the Buttered Bacon Biscuits, Witchwood were born. Buttered Bacon Biscuits released a self-produced CD in 2010, titled From the Solitary Woods (available on CD and LP from Jolly Roger in 2017), and positively reviewed by many Italian and foreign music magazines and websites. They played many gigs around Italy, also supporting important bands like Uriah Heep, Jethro Tull, and Bud Spencer Blues Explosion among others.

After the split, some members of the band - Ricky, Andy, Steve, and Sam - decided, with the entry of new member Luca Celotti on bass, to start Witchwood. All musicians have been active for decades, with past recording experience with local bands and collaborations with artists like Martin Grice (Delirium) and Nik Turner (Hawkwind). Their debut album as Witchwood, Litanies From the Woods, featured ten tracks in a well-balanced mix of hard rock, progressive, psych, and southern rock with an obscure and vintage '70s attitude. Released in 2015, this debut album got a very excellent acceptance from public and press, both in and outside Italy, which allowed a strong promotional push - playing live at Hammer of Doom in Germany, Malta Doom Metal Fest in Malta, and as guest for The Vintage Caravan in Germany - and a deserved good visibility on all main specialized webzines and magazines. Both CD and LP first runs quickly sold out.

Rightly, Witchwood were considered one of the best bands from the new "retro-rock" wave. One year later, they came back with a new recording, Handful of Stars, featuring three unreleased songs and two covers - "Flaming Telepath" from Blue Öyster Cult and "Rainbow Demon" from Uriah Heep, as a kind of homage and tribute to these two great bands, so important for Witchwood's musical journey - and an unreleased version of the suite "Handful Of Stars" (from Litanies From the Woods) with a new breathless intro, for a total of 45 minutes of music.

"Handful of Stars represents a band’s hypothetical cycle, as it contains also music based on ideas developed during the recording sessions of Litanies From the Woods but left behind because that album was already almost 80 minutes length," said Ricky Dal Pane. "There are three unreleased songs and a tribute to two of our favorite bands of all time - ‘Flaming Telepaths’ from Blue Öyster Cult and ‘Rainbow Demon’ from Uriah Heep. We also added an extended version of the song ‘Handful Of Stars.’ This is a very well-curated album, and it’s full of interesting material. It’s not just a filler between two full-length albums, as its length is 45 minutes. We are very happy about it, and we hope our fans won’t be disappointed."

Handful of Stars was also the right way to celebrate the appreciation received for the debut album and to introduce the new guitar player Antonino Stella, noteworthy session man and Ricky's longtime friend. During the last four years, Witchwood played live and collected all the energies and inspirations to release the new, best-possible album entitled Before the Winter. A long time, but worth the wait!

current lineup: Riccardo "Ricky" Dal Pane - vocals, electric and acoustic guitar, mandolin; Andrea "Andy" Palli - drums; Stefano "Steve" Olivi - Hammond, piano, synth & Moog; Luca "Celo" Celotti - bass; Samuele "Sam" Tesori - flute & harmonica; Antonino "Woody" Stella - lead guitar.

Before the Winter by Witchwood