Witchfinder General

During their era, Witchfinder General stood out as one of the more overlooked acts to surface from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, although they later earned recognition as an influential precursor within the doom metal community. The lineup came together in 1980 when Zeeb Parkes took vocals, Phil Cope handled guitars, Woolfy Trope played bass, and Graham Ditchfield sat behind the drums. Strongly shaped by Black Sabbath, the group put out just two albums—Death Penalty in 1982 and Friends of Hell the following year—before disbanding. In an ironic turn, the records grew more famous for their humorous artwork, which showed the musicians dressed in medieval garb and tormenting semi-naked women, than for their gritty, post-Sabbath sound.