Metal Witch are a German heavy metal band. They initially formed in Wedel, right outside of Hamburg, in 1985. But the band went nowhere, and spilt up in 1987. Then, with the rise of old school metal during the latter years before the millennium change, Metal Witch reformed, with the original members, in 1998. They released a demo, 'Ready To Burn' in 2002, and their first full-length album, 'Risen From The Grave' in 2008. both were independently released. Since then they have continued as an underground act, gaining a cult following all over the world, much thanks to their MySpace site.

OUTBREAK OF METAL VOL. 1 (2009) SLANEY RECORDS

It's mind boggling how many metal bands that are out there. And it's even more mind boggling how many great bands that exists that never get their chance to shine in the spotlight. Metal Witch, from Wedel, Germany, is such a band. Although their brand of classic, true heavy metal should be right up the alley for most die hard metal fans, they are still relatively unknown. Musically they resemble such different acts as Iron Maiden, (old) Running Wild, Stormwitch and Metal Church. Basically that means old school power metal, based on blistering riffs, galloping rhythms and pummeling bass-work. The vocals are graveling and gruff, and with a stereotypical German accent, especially on the older songs. You see, mostly all of these songs can be found on the bands earlier releases. The only exception is the live version of "Kiss My Ass", recorded at the bands performance on the Headbangers Open Air Festival in 2004. Metal Witch's raw power metal is delivered with so much conviction, it is impossible to sit still during any of the 6 songs at hand. But my favorites are "The Count Has Risen From The Grave" and "Valley Of The Kings". Maybe this split-CD, where Metal Witch are sharing the stage with American thrashers, Vindicator, will give the band the publicity needed to get an even greater following.