Not to be confused with the Colorado based doom/stoner band of the same name, this Polish trio arrived on the metal scene in 2025, bringing huge sounding trad metal riffs. Their shamelessly old school heart should make them appeal instantly to lovers of a “classic” style, but it’s also quite pleasing that some of the band’s material shows off a love for an unexpectedly dirty edge.
Following a crash of cymbals, the title cut of ‘Mountain Knows’ thunders forth with a galloping riff that takes a massive cue from Iron Maiden in their mid 80s pomp. This is not a straight copy however; instead of replicating a very 80s sound, the band have chosen to deliver the riffs with a really grubby tone that owes more to a stoner sound. It’s a crossover that really works: the brighter sounding lead guitars pierce through the jagged yet swampy sounds, adding hugely confident tones against a really heavy backdrop. Bringing a further melodic touch, Konrad Czeredys shares a booming yet clean vocal which, again, shows off an admiration for a very 80s style, and although he never resorts to a truly old school studs-n-leather squealing, he isn’t shy of sharing massive soaring notes that contrast the music’s muddier edge. It’s a track with a classic sound that works just as well in the present, and if you are able to find a love for it, then the rest of this album will definitely score highly in terms of entertainment value.
Opening with a barrage of drums, ‘Face of Our God’ cranks the speed and finds Witch Hound teasing with a riff that could’ve been culled from Judas Priest’s ‘Painkiller’ sharing a trad metal/thrash crossover, but in keeping with the opener, things aren’t played completely straight. A deeper tone brings an extra feeling of heaviness, and although the speed doesn’t play to the stoner crowd, the general dirtiness certainly owes at least a small debt to Kyuss circa ‘Wretch’. Musically, it’s utterly superb, especially when the chorus slows to share a near perfect trad/doom blend, but vocally, it feels a little odd. Konrad’s near theatrical, cleaner tones provide a little too much of a contrast, and he occasionally feels like he’s depping for someone who might be little more suitable. Nevertheless, there’s a world of great riffs here and a love for a classic metal melody that serves the musicians well, especially when the instrumental break kicks in with a riff that appears to be on loan from one of Slayer’s slower numbers.
An album highlight, the mid tempo ‘Flesh and Bone’ adopts a riff that’s straight from Judas Priest’s ‘Saints In Hell’ and heavies it up in keeping with typical Witch Hound fare. From the off, the familiar sounding riff shares the ultimate in classic sounding metal, and once the jagged elements fall away to make room for another very traditional sounding lead break, this becomes a masterclass in old school power. Even the booming vocal sits very comfortably, and along with some huge notes to open ‘Throne of Lies’, its clear that Konrad actually has a very good voice. On this track, some particularly strong guitar work shares a love for melodic thrash, and in terms of intensity, that’s equalled by drummer Pawel Krolikowski, who absolutely attacks his kit, providing some incredible bass fills along the way. By the time a twin lead guitar solo takes centre stage, this track begins to sound like buried treasure from 1988 (in the best possible way), before an even more bombastic climax finds Pawel briefly dropping into a groove that tips the hat to Maiden’s ‘Losfer Words’.
In a change of mood, the mid tempo ‘Lust For Blood’ introduces a grubby riff that, at first, plays like a blend of melodic hardcore and stoner, before a jagged riff pays homage to classic thrash. Lurking between the two very different riffs, bassist Jakob Lisewski drops in with an incredibly heavy bottom end – this number makes him far more audible, and he’s obviously an integral part of this trio’s heavy sound – and by the mid point, it’s clear that this is another stand out track, but things get even better once Witch Hound drop into a mid tempo swagger that allows a semi-doomy riff to do a lot of heavy lifting, before returning to the melodic hardcore to allow Jakob time to share some impressive lead bass. Finally, dropping into another slow riff, the band unleash their heaviest sounds, ensuring these six minutes have something to offer most fans of classic sounding metal. It may well sound like three very different ideas glued together, but in terms of providing a brilliant showcase for the musicians, it’s spot on.
Despite opening with a semi-bluesy lead guitar tone, ‘Sinner’ also celebrates the trio’s heavier intents by filling five minutes with a doom fuelled workout powered by heavy basslines and swampy grooves. The moodier sound works brilliantly, even though some of Konrad’s vocals feel a little too strained, and any weaker elements are more than made up for with the presence of a strong lead riff bringing an 80s flair and a few sludgier sounding riffs offsetting the old school heart. Elsewhere, things don’t fare quite so well on ‘Ash In The Wind’ due to a really terrible lyric with Konrad imploring everyone to “run for your lives” to escape the “death that comes to dance with us all”. It might have worked better with a better melody in hand, but set against a very 80s gallop, it just sounds like a tired throwback from a band who’ve not followed any of metal’s trends since 1989. Despite this, there stll a few good elements here, as you’d expect: in particular, Konrad offers one of the album’s finest guitar solos and beneath the rousing rhythm, and Jakob’s bass sound is equally impressive. In closing, ‘War Within’ also misses the mark a little due to a deep vocal that sits rather awkwardly against a galloping riff, sharing the album’s least melodic performance. Assuming you can crane your ears past this dominant role, the drums are great. No matter where the melody goes – shifting from a high octane gallop, through a slower passage that leans towards an iffy pirate metal influence, and intro thrashier climes to underscore another terrific guitar solo – Pawel sounds like an absolute powerhouse, ensuring that even if the material misses the mark, there’s always something within the Witch Hound world worth listening to.
Metal has gone through various dramatic shifts over the years: the abrasive edges of thrash in the late 80s sometimes made the decade’s earlier bands sound a little stale, just as the alternative aspects of 90s nu-metal made the likes of Slayer feel resolutely old school. Things naturally grow and change, but they eventually come back to the roots, and if Euro bands aren’t channelling Sabbath, or pummelling audiences with doom-laden greatness, they’re often flying the flag for classic 80s riffs. In the hands of Witch Hound, both aspects are catered for with extreme confidence and an impressive musical tightness. Providing you can find a love for a slightly booming vocal that doesn’t always work quite so naturally, with six of its eight tracks sharing a great sound, ‘Mountain Knows’ should provide solid entertainment.
September 2025/February 2026