Five years on from their lockdown release, ‘Black Metal’, which saw Witchcraft trading in their trademark stoner riffs for a bleak, stripped down occult folk sound, and almost a decade after the release of the brilliant ‘Nucleus’, the Swedes play things fairly safely on their 2025 long player ‘IDAG’. In this case, though, the feeling of safety has its own strength: founding member Magnus Pelande sounds more comfortable than ever working within a classic doomy metal format, and for the band’s fans, this return to a more “classic” Witchcraft sound will certainly present a welcome move, even if in some ways it feels like a step backwards.

The proof of this feeling like the right move, though, is evident from the very start. The title cut kicks off with a fuzz drenched guitar working through a busy riff, where descending notes are given a lift via a speedy rhythm, before everything drops into a slow, sometimes doomy arrangement that’s pure Sabbath. Or it would be, if it were a little warmer at the bottom end. This plays more like a mix of classic Sabbath colliding with the heavier moments of Snakemother, topped with a slightly warbling vocal that sounds as if it could go full Serj Tankian at any moment. It’s great…and even when things shift into a faster groove, allowing drummer Par Hjulstrom to cut loose and guesting synth player Bjorn Ekholm Eriksson to add a few weird Hawkwind-ish textures, the band’s commitment to delivering a solid sound is more than evident. For those looking for a touch more melody, a couple of blues fuelled lead guitar parts – augmented by wah-wah – bring an even more old school sound to the fore, and hearing all of these ingredients together creates a near-perfect opener.

From there, the rest of the material displays just as much strength. ‘Drömmar Av Is’ drops in with a slightly heavier sound. By opting to present the main riff as a blend ‘Sabotage’ era Sabbath fare and a heady glam rock groove, it creates something that positively swaggers. This, naturally, allows for an effective base for the band to weave other superb elements into the piece, ranging from a loud, blues drenched lead guitar break to a few stoner-ish fills that serve up even more of a classic sound. Perhaps more impressively, given the amount of fuzz that’s smothering his guitar work, is the way Magnus applies a clean vocal throughout. This allows everything to feel even more old school and accessible. Yes, this is heavy, but it’s also massively melodic in a way that aims to pull in fans of a classic doomy metal sound the world over – even with a lyric that doesn’t necessarily translate too far out of Sweden. ‘Om Du Vill’ opens with solo voice and guitar – leaning into the folkier sounds of ‘Black Metal’ – but its slow tempo and live sound ensures it doesn’t feel too far out of step with this album’s heavier fare, before the instrumental ‘Glantan’ adds even folkier elements on a short instrumental that deliberately nods in the direction of a couple of Zeppelin’s quieter moments. This pair of numbers mightn’t have the clout of something like ‘Drömmar Av Is’, but they really help to give this long player a feeling of balance.

Following the “chill out” interlude, ‘Burning Cross’ not only reinstates a genuine heaviness, but also administers a slower tempo, allowing Witchcraft to go full on classic doom. The riffs are heavy without becoming leaden, and an English lyric appears to bring out a bigger sound in Pelande’s delivery. Overall, you won’t find anything new, genre wise – or even from Witchcraft themselves – but this slow head-nodder of a stoner jam sounds immense when played loudly. Its mix of overdriven guitars, excessive wah-wah pedal and ominous vocal moments results in a dour classic; the sound of heavy blues taken to its logical extreme with the minimum of fuss. If you’ve ever loved it when Witchcraft lose themselves in a slow and heavy vibe, this’ll be an instant favourite, whilst ‘Spirit’ goes into even heavier climes, adopting a funereal tempo, driven by thumping drums and a sludgy mood to take the listener into something even darker. Despite approaching something closer to a musical swamp, this isn’t without melody. From his opening line, Magnus’s decision to apply a clean vocal style makes one of Witchcraft’s heavier workouts very accessible and surprisingly tuneful. In addition, the manner in which he delivers the chosen lyric in an unexpectedly high tone makes the lyric soar, and in its own way, ensures everything sounds more tuneful, despite the strange, spooky feel. This takes the weird idea that Electric Wizard riffs might work with a ‘Bends’ era Radiohead vocal and creates this album’s most inventive number. Not that the unexpected vocal tones are the number’s strongest feature: that would still be Pelande’s guitar work which, even delivered with a relative lack of subtlety, finds time for some fantastic blues wah-wah accents to offset a great heaviness.

Falling somewhere between this album’s two musical extremes, ‘Christmas’ takes a stoner tone, but dispenses with the heaviness. Instead, Magnus applies an ominous tone to deep acoustic strums to create something dark, adding an occult folk slant to some rather obvious Zeppelin-y textures. This isn’t a sledgehammer of a Zep homage, though; the dark edges of the lead vocal sound as if the band have been digging into some forgotten Scandinavian folk rock sounds from 1972, as well as Chris Cornell’s solo masterpiece ‘Seasons’. Stripped down, yet incredibly full sounding throughout, the number’s moody vibes are a perfect fit for Witchcraft at this stage of their career, creating something that stoner, retro rock fans, and lovers of ‘Heritage’ era Opeth should take to their hearts.

Two decades after the release of their debut album, Witchcraft sound like a true force on ‘IDAG’. As with ‘Nucleus’, its a pleasure to hear a stoner band delivering a very melodic, classic sound. Although not exclusively doomy, the 70s influenced riffs are absolutely immense, and Witchcraft shift between the groove laden and pleasingly miserable with ease, and even presenting half the lyrics in Swedish doesn’t detract from the strength of the material itself. This seventh record shares the sound of a band firing on all cylinders; an album that can more than hold its own, even within a densely populated stoner/fuzz rock/retro scene. If you’re unfamiliar with the band, ‘IDAG’ is a more than suitable place to drop into their catalogue, and if you already consider yourself a fan, you can expect ‘Burning Cross’ and ‘Christmas’ to become favourites in record time. A highly recommended listen.

May 2025