Rocktober '80s Song #20: "Angel Witch" by Angel Witch (1980)

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was fertile ground for many things, one of which was the use of dark and macabre themes.  Setting aside the many songs from NWOBHM bands that discussed demons, witches, the devil, murder, and the like, many NWOBHM band names evoked a sense of the sinister, like Iron Maiden (taken from a medieval torture device), Cloven Hoof, Demon, Pagan Altar, Grim Reaper, Satan, Venom, and Witchfinder General.

London's Angel Witch, like so many other bands of the time, is one of those bands whose influence far surpassed its commercial success.  Their 1980 self-titled debut is considered one of the most important of the early NWOBHM albums, not only because the songs are great musically, but also because of the apocalyptic painting on the album cover and the dark and eerie subject matter of many of the songs.  They were one of the first NWOBHM bands to jump headfirst into "black" themes.  I'm also impressed that the band was only a trio, with Kevin Heybourne on lead vocals and guitar, Kevin Riddles on bass, keyboards, and backing vocals, and Dave Hogg on drums.  I definitely would have called the drummer "Boss."

In 2010, the band's label released a 30th anniversary edition of the Angel Witch album, which is what I have.  In addition to the ten tracks originally on the album, it includes twenty additional tracks of demos, live BBC recordings, alternate versions, and B-sides.  

I could have chosen any of several songs from the album, including "White Witch," "Devil's Tower," "Sorcerers," "Angel of Death," or "Gorgon," as well as "Baphoment," which is one of the bonus tracks on the aforementioned anniversary edition and was originally released as part of the 1980 NWOBMH compilation Metal for Muthas.

However, I am going with the title track.  Yes, this is one of those rare instances of a self-titled song on a self-titled album -- though it seems to happen in the metal world more than elsewhere, as bands like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Motörhead have all released self-titled songs on self-titled albums.  On a related note, one day, I'd like to form a band called Triple Eponymous and release and album called Triple Eponymous, on which there is a song called "Triple Eponymous."  I'll put an ad in The Recycler to get my backing band.  "Must have own equipment.  Must take direction well.  Must be awesome.  Must be down with eponymity."

The song "Angel Witch" is a fantastic example of what the NWOBHM was all about -- the energy of punk and the technical proficiency of metal.  It's a fast-paced song with screaming guitars, impassioned vocals, and thundering drums.  As I was listening to this song a little while ago, in the last minute of the song, when Heybourne goes off, Son (age 6) said, "Whoa!"  I assumed something totally insane happened in his neverending Roblox game, but nonetheless, I said "What are you 'whoaing' about?"  He said, "That guitarist is really good."  If the guitar solo made Son shift focus from his iPad, you know it must be good.  I should also note that I sing this song to my wife every night after she goes to sleep.

Sadly, after releasing their debut album, the band broke up before reforming in 1984 with a slightly different lineup and releasing albums in 1985 and 1986, before breaking up again and then sporadically reforming with different lineups over the next few decades and releasing studio albums in 2012 and 2019.