Witchery

Witchery came into existence in Sweden during 1997 once Ztephan Dark, founder of Satanic Slaughter, dismissed the members of his group—guitarists Patrik Jensen of Seance and the Haunted plus Richard Corpse, vocalist Toxine, and drummer Mique. The quartet promptly brought in bassist Sharlee D' Angelo from Mercyful Fate and issued the debut album Restless and Dead without delay. Reviewers and listeners responded favorably to the outfit’s riff-driven sound, rooted in the melodic metal of the 1980s. Patrik Jensen’s established association with the Haunted alongside Sharlee D’ Angelo’s background in Mercyful Fate framed Witchery as a black/death metal supergroup.

Their next effort, the 1999 Witchburner EP, paid homage to formative influences via covers of W.A.S.P., Judas Priest, Accept, and Black Sabbath together with three new tracks. Dead, Hot, and Ready appeared soon after, marking the third release inside a period shorter than one year. Don’t Fear the Reaper arrived in 2006 as the band’s first outing on Century Media Records and contained a version of Satanic Slaughter’s “Immortal Death.” Witchkrieg followed in 2010, and the sixth studio album, In His Infernal Majesty’s Service, surfaced in 2016. One year later the full-length I Am Legion appeared, spotlighting the single “True North.”