History
Initially conceived as long ago as 1975, Nottinghamshire`s oddly-named
WITCHFYNDE (something that caused a fair bit of confusion when the similarly-monikered
Witchfinder General came along a few years later) appear to have considered
themselves to be the very epitome of occult/metal, although they were,
in all honesty, yet another of the many bands who merely flirted with
the pseudo-satanic imagery as and when it suited them. Their early attempts
to convince the masses of their talents were largely ignored, and it took
the lads several years to attain the status of a remotely credible proposition.
Eventually, however, they became the first rock act to be picked up by
the rather inconsistent Rondelet (or `Round Records`,as they styled themselves
at the out-set)label, the first fruit of this relationship being their
Give `Em Hell two tracker, released towards the end of 1979. The A-side
was, admittedly, quite a weighty effort, building on the foundations laid
by the familiar occult/theatrical pairing of Black Sabbath and Black Widow
(see also Hell,Pagan Altar etc) to produce a slightly more contemporary
and substantial contribution to the burgeoning NWOBHM scene. Having said
that, the flipside Gettin` Heavy was an extremely unremarkable composition
all round, and showed a slightly disconcerting tendency to slip into rather
more of a primitive style, almost bordering on pub rock.
Nevertheless, the single became an extraordinary popular purchase (the
original limited pressing on Round Records would be exhausted pretty swiftly)
for many NWOBHM fans of the day, and a full Witchfynde album was soon
being worked upon. Released in the early months of 1980, Give `Em Hell
(the album, that is) was, to be honest a rather inauspicious and pedestrian
effort, although there were a couple of reasonably listenable inclusions,
notably the more pacey and hard rocking Ready To Roll and Pay Now-Love
Later, both of which bore fairly strong similarities to the likes of Marz,
Renegade and Cheshire`s Wolf.As you might expect, the outfit`s high-concept
pieces turned out to be rather more heavy-going (although not necessarily
particularly heavy in a musical sense), the best of the bunch being a
capable effort called The Divine Victim, a historical retelling of Joan
Of Arc`s sticky end. Unto The Ages Of The Ages (a mystical tale of something-or-other),
on the other hand, had a few good ideas, but lasted a eternity (maybe
that was the whole idea), while the impenetrable nonense of Leaving Nadir
(which would actually put in an appearance on the NWOBHM `79 Revisited
set in 1990) was completely disposable.In spite of its shortcomings, however,
the record still proceeded to shift a highly impressive number of units,
and the public were soon treated to a reissue of Give `Em Hell (the single,
that is).
The lads went out on the road to promote their recently-unveiled album,
initially undertaking a few headlining shows of their own and then hooked
up with unlikely tour associates DEF LEPPARD for a successful series of
dates.Their next album, recorded towards the end of 1980, was a considerably
more upbeat and listenable effort than their debut. That being said, Stagefright
(the first release to feature new bassist Pete Surgey) was an inconsistent
mishmash of material, and the heavier numbers (such as Wake Up Screaming
and the title track itself) sat uneasily alongside the likes of Moon Magic,
In The Stars and Trick Or Treat, which now saw the band moving into PRAYING
MANTIS territory. Furthermore, several other inclusions were even more
lightweight, such as the 70`s rock of Would Not Be Seen Dead In Heaven,
the dismal ballad Madeleine and the abysmal semi-pop of Big Deal, which
could easily have passed for a SMOKIN ROADIE or DEDRINGER composition.
Having apparently ditched the dreary and lengthy dirges for the time being,
it looked as though WITCHFYNDE would win a few new fans with their more
punchy, accessible material, althought Stagefright appears to have sold
rather more poorly than its predecessor, suggesting that many remained
unconvinced that the outfit really meant business. Nevertheless, In The
Stars (b/w Wake Up Screaming) was trotted out as a single, which appears
to have been a slightly more worthwhile release. In due course, however,
the group were to lose their original vocalist, Steve Bridges, and the
comically-named Chalky White had been drafted in as a replacement by the
early part of 1981.Within a fairly short space of time, the revised version
of WITCHFYNDE were recording their first session for the Friday Rock Show,
and they took the opportunity to showcase Gettin Heavy, Give `Em Hell,
Moon Magic and Belfast, the session being broadcast on February 13th 1981.
Belfast was something of a major departure for WITCHFYNDE, a power ballad
(written by their new frontman) with a strong political message (their
associates in WARRIOR had already penned something of an analogous effort
in their Ulster,Bloody Ulster, although it seems to have been a one-off,
and they appear not to have pursued this particular direction with any
great sense of conviction. Still, the track was considered worthy of inclusion
on the BBC`s The Friday Rock Show tie in album from later in the year.
By this time , however, WITCHFYNDE were encountering serious problems
with their label, who refused to finance further live outings.Whether
or not there was ever a possibilty of another album being financed by
Rondelet is open to debate, although it all became purely academic the
following year, when the cash-strapped company finally went to the wall,
leaving WITCHFYNDE with no option but to seek out a brand-new home.WITCHFYNDE
confounded the sceptics by resurfacing in 1983 ( ostensibly with yet another
new vocalist, although it transpires that Chalky White had merely reinvented
himself as the King Diamond-soundalike Luther Beltz, and the lads soon
had another full album to offer to the world, having been snapped by Expulsion
Records in the interim. Their debut set for the label, Cloak and Dagger
(a release which also appeared on Roadrunner), turned out to be a more
substantial effort than their previous offerings, and the semi-operatic
vocals lent more of a MERCYFUL FATE feeling to the proceedings.
The early months of 1984 saw the persevering WITCHFYNDE signing to Mausoleum
for their fourth long-player, and erstwhile PANZA DIVISION bassist Alan
Edwards was brought in to help out on the recording front. Presented in
another demonic-looking cover, Lords Of Sin appeared some time later,
the first pressing being housed within a gatefold sleeve with a bonus
four track EP thrown in.
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Witchfynde
Harry - Vocals
Gra Scoresby - Drums
Montalo - Guitar
Pete Surgey - Bass
Discography
Albums
Give 'Em Hell - Rondelet ABOUT 1 - 1980
Stagefright - Rondelet ABOUT 2 - 1980
Cloak and Dagger - Expulsion EXIT 5 - 1983
(Also released as limited edition picture disc PEXIT 5)
Lords of Sin - Mausoleum LORD 835354 - 1984
(first 10,000 copies came with free live 12" "Anthems")
Singles
Give 'Em Hell/Gettin' Heavy - Rondelet ROUND 1 - 1979
In The Stars/Wake Up Screaming - Rondelet ROUND 2 - 1980
I'd Rather Go Wild/Cry Wolf - Expulsion OUT 3 - 1983
Conspiracy/Scarlet Lady - Mausoleum GUTS 8404 - 1984
CDs
Give 'Em Hell - Pony Canyon PCCY 00386 - 1992
Stagefright - Pony Canyon PCCY 00387 - 1992
Lords of Sin - Mausoleum Classix 704127 - 1994
The Best of Witchfynde - British Steel CD Metal 1 - 1997
Cloak & Dagger - 2000
Britannia Infernus - Neat (History of Black Metal Compilation Double CD)
- 2002
The Witching Hour - Edgy Records - 2001
Witchfynde website http://www.witchfynde.com
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