Witchgrinder

We recently had the pleasure of witnessing this Melbourne industrial thrash crew do their thing at Brisbane's Crowbar during BIGSOUND and we were absolutely blown away by their instrumental skill, their dominating and magnetic stage presence, and the ease with which vocalist Travis Everett shifted between a creeping, insectival growl and soaring clean vocals. We hadn't been this impressed by a local metal band in a while and their short showcase set reminded us of the last time we had the honour of witnessing Gojira on an Aussie stage. - Staff

Melbourne thrash metallers Witchgrinder have followed their impressive 2013 debut with something even better, tightening up the four-piece's savage vocals, powerhouse kitwork and brutal guitar chugs into a sleek, structured foray into the dark that still assaults in all the right places. Rigor Mortis waxes lyrical on the horrors of its namesake while breaking things down with neat riffs and '80s guitar lines. Bloodlust's urgent pulse and clipped motifs echo a bit Ministry, while links to Rob Zombie are unavoidable in Travis Everett's brute vocal onslaught on When Devils Speak. There's little "second album syndrome" to speak of here. - Carley Hall - Editor - The Music

Have you ever wondered what vintage horror movies would sound like as thrash metal? Well wonder no more, because Melbourne’s home-grown Witchgrinder have answered that question. They debuted in 2013 with The Demon Calling, and now they’re back with Haunted and are spookier than ever.

witchgrinder hauntedThe music is heavily influenced by classic horror films and villains, ranging from vampires, gorgons and even Freddy Krueger. The band has stuck with their usual sound, incorporating guttural growls and spine-chilling screams as the creatures of nightmares are brought to life.

The spooky source material is blended with the thrashing, creating eerily beautiful music out of the carnage. Haunted taps into the horror genre, getting the adrenaline pumping and the head banging. The grizzly lyrics and dark themes provide a downright awesome atmosphere that complements the aggressive and fast paced tempo.

Travis Everett’s haunting vocals grip the listener and draw them in close, with violent growls and screams punctuating the excellent guitar work of Ryan Potts whose solos are superb and heavy. Shane Turville’s percussion is powerful and potent that helps whip the listener into a frenzy while Walker Hell’s bass stalk the night and help create the rich and varied music.

The album is 40 minutes of heart pounding action, with plenty of variation between songs that stops them becoming repetitive. This album is an excellent follow up to their debut and even the track titles evoke that horror flick feel (The Butcher and Bloodlust to name a few). Haunted traps you in a nightmare, but one you don’t want to awaken from. Witchgrinder will leave you wanting more of their unique style of terror and thrash. - William Arnott - Editor - What's my scene

Returning with their second studio album comes Melbourne metallers Witchgrinder. They’ve been such a persistent outfit in recent times that it’s hard to comprehend how they have had the time to produce such a powerful follow-up. But in the midst of numerous Australian shows and a tour run with Entombed A.D. in Japan, that is just what they have done.

Building upon the success of 2013’s The Demon Calling, the four piece offer an expanded industrial-thrash production rich with driving riffery and tormented narrative. As a whole, Haunted sees the band take a slightly more guitar orientated turn than their debut album. The guitar solo features more heavily as a means to juxtapose a great blend of tempos and to break the boundaries of light/dark interplay, typically made famous by genre stalwarts Fear Factory and Ministry. Of course, vocalist/guitarist Travis Everett, errs on the darker side in his vocal delivery touching on numerous super-natural and horror movie related themes. Sitting behind the quartet is a cleverly crafted wash of electronic programming and sampling which heightens the tension within the album in much the same way a film score ought to for a cinema goer.

Haunted begins with the creepy organ lament of Into the Sleep, a re-iteration of the way their first album opened. Rigor Mortis is the first thrash battering of the punchy LP and Everett channels the first anthemic moment of many with the chorus line “One more kiss before you decay.”

Our Nightmare is a crescendo moment for the long player, albeit residing as the fourth track of the album, it builds into a yearning melodic chorus with a vocal delivery reminiscent of Fear Factory’s work through the Archetype/Obsolete era.

Touching on the more industrial edge is the single Bloodlust and title track Haunted which are both standouts as well as Eyes to Stone, a thrash anthem which will lend itself to Witchgrinder’s energetic live performances.

At first glance Haunted might seem to cater to the witching hour enthusiast but there are many elements for fans of all heavy music to explore here with excellent musicianship on all fronts. - Jesse Kenny - Editor - Blank GC