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WYTCH HAZEL
IV: Sacrament

Bad Omen (2023)
Rating: 7/10

Although somewhat baffled by the hype surrounding these British rockers, I have been at least charmed by their releases. Wytch Hazel have that cosy style of music which taps into an enchanting brew of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal fused with Jethro Tull and, say, Deep Purple that drips with an almost folkloric energy. It’s all very much easy on the ears, and considering the Christian slant there remains a mysticism about each release and this new outing is no different.

The songs tend to trickle like an overflowing warm stream of comforting melody. Wytch Hazel’s sound has that timeless appeal, not necessarily because of actual quality – although of that there is plenty – but simply due to the influences they channel. When you hear the delicate 70s vibes of ‘The Fire’s Control’, ‘Deliver Us’ and ‘Digging Deeper’ you can see why the Lancashire lads appeal to wide audience; their traditional hard rock essence is gleefully catchy and ageless and yet somehow aged in design.

Heavier numbers like ‘Endless Battle’ have a more majestic stride and then there are the subtleties of tracks such as ‘Future Is Gold’ with its campfire acoustics. However, through all the influences and apparent gliding motion the tracks conjure up, there is still a predictability about this opus and the novelty does begin to wear off after the third or fourth spin.

I see why Wytch Hazel are popular, but this is the sort of creaky hard rock that, although presently hip, is desperate in its nostalgic whines. Of course, the fair folk will lap it all up because that’s how trends work, it’s just that I find greater authentic servings in those yellowed and scuffed 70s records which so obviously inspired such rambles.

Neil Arnold

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