FEAR, EMPTINESS, DECIBEL: REGARDING THE LATEST “DECIBEL HALL OF FAME” ENTRY, ANGEL WITCH
Before there were blogs there were these things called magazines, and the only metal magazine we still get excited about reading every month is Decibel. Here’s managing editor Andrew Bonazelli.
So, you’re already well aware by now that Decibel’s November Hall of Fame inductee is Angel Witch’s self-titled 1980 debut. The NWOBHM touchstone turned 30 this year, which is a perfect occasion for yet another reissue — the long history of which is pretty fun, if sorta exhausting, to follow on Wiki. The 10-year anniversary (Roadrunner) offered a healthy three bonus tracks (including “Dr. Phibes,” a reference to a 1971 Vincent Price horror flick with the poignant tagline: “Love means never having to say you’re ugly”); the 20-year installment (Castle) layered three more extras on top of that, including “Baphomet” from the infamous Metal for Muthas comp; the 25-year jam (also Castle) added four BBC live cuts (we’re up to 10 bonuses, if you’re keeping score); and now, finally (maybe), the 30-year Sanctuary double-disc goes all-fucking-out with two discs, including seven demos, and expanded 12- and 7-inch b-sides. Maybe the 35-year anniversary can have a third disc with an all-grindcore cover cavalcade, because Scott Hull, Scott Carlson and Matt Harvey have all said they’re beyond pumped that staffer Adem Tepedelen managed to put this fucker together.
Too bad sophomore effort Screamin’ n’ Bleedin’ wasn’t the stone-cold classic, because I don’t think anyone would mind seeing variations of this cover every five or so years. But I digress. Where do you guys stand on Angel Witch? Kevin Riddles and Dave Hogg are certainly not fans of the mix—the former even remembers in the piece that he’d “have to upset the neighbors two blocks away to get it up loud enough to make it sound heavy.” Weird syntax aside, do you agree? Does it matter?
-AB
Wanna read the full “Hall of Fame” article on Angel Witch? Buy yourself a copy of the November 2010 issue of Decibel or, better yet, buy yourself a full subscription. You’ll be glad ya did!
