Following in the path of the forebearers of the scene, Hampshire’s Witchsorrow are doom -proper doom that is, in the vein of Sabbath, Vitus and Pentagram, not the one note/cymbal crash every 10 minutes sort of doom. Hexenhammer represents the band’s fourth full outing and is the sound of a band fully matured and ready to lay waste to the world.

Taking inspiration from the impending Armageddon that is Donald Trump (I knew he would inspire new angry music) the trio are dirt heavy ala Electric Wizard with a heap of Cathedral groove thrown for in good measure.  Drummer Wilbrahammer lays the foundation with earth shattering drum work and along with Emily Witch’s bass pounding; they have quite the engine room. Complementing this work is Necroskull’s classic sounding but also very modern riffage, along with some soaring solo work. I don’t for one second think that these were the names their parents gave them by the way. A rare thing these days but Hexenhammer doesn’t have a weak link anywhere. Seven tracks of doom, the likes of which I haven’t enjoyed in a while. The Devil’s Throne, the stand out track for me is a fine example of all their collective influences, head nodding heavy metal sensibilities with a bludgeoning groove to kill for.

Formed in 2006 by Necroskull and Witch, Witchsorrow have carved a path for themselves in the sometimes overpopulated doom scene and with some name worthy festival appearances across Europe and coveted support slots with the likes of Saint Vitus and Electric Wizard, I believe on the evidence of this record, they can reach the next echelon in their career and deserve to be considered among the top doom bands in the U.K. Chris Andrews