adg211288 Sometimes a band releases a real killer of an album that blows you away, kicks your arse and just leaves you wanting more. Then when the follow-up to that great release comes along there's suddenly only one question that needs to be asked: 'what the hell happened?' Such is the sad case of UK heavy metal act Arkham Witch and their third album I Am Providence (2015).

The group's previous album Legions of the Deep (2012) was the aforementioned great album. An excellent offering of traditional heavy metal with a healthy dose of thrash metal for good measure (and even a little bit of doom metal) that had the band singing of their love of H. P. Lovecraft and their home town of Keighley, England, I'd definitely rank it as one of the most interesting traditional metal albums of more recent years. They've taken the Lovecraft theme all the way with I Am Providence in that every song is based off of a different Lovecraft story, but what's resulted is an album that is admittedly quite a fun listen, but seems to lack the depth of its predecessor (no pun intended) in terms of song-writing.

There are a whopping twenty tracks on I Am Providence but it's not as imposing as it sounds as Arkham Witch have gone for a very much to the point style of writing this time around with the average track time being under even the three minute mark and the longest song here, And What Man Knows Kadath?, only clocking in at the 3:35 mark. I've got no problem with short songs like this per se but in this case it does seem to be the case that they're all over and done with before they've had any real chance of developing their ideas to become the sort of powerful tracks that I was expecting from Arkham Witch based off of the strengths of Legions of the Deep. I'm not saying that I Am Providence is a poorly written album, in fact the band actually manage to cram seemingly quite a lot into such short tracks and they're definitely catchy as hell, I just don't think they're as interesting as those on Legions of the Deep.

The changes in writing style from Legions of the Deep's typically longer tracks may however have come about by the changes in Arkham Witch's musical style as well. Though still a heavy metal band at heart Arkham Witch have injected some hefty doses of hard rock and even punk into their sound on I Am Providence. I can still hear the occasional brief nod towards thrash metal, but it's very fleeting. This one really is the case of a band almost completely reinventing themselves. The music is more lively and the band are playing with a great energy to go with it, which is something that works in the album's favour and there are definitely some songs of note that prove to be quite infectious such as Necronomicon and Hastur the Unspeakable. I'm just not sold on that this is an reinvention for the better for Arkham Witch.

I asked 'what the hell happened?' at the start of this review and to be fair it's probably too harsh of a question, as my feelings towards I Am Providence are more mixed than outright negative, but I do stand by it as even though this is an enjoyable release from the UK band I do find it to be a pretty large step backwards taking into consideration what they already showed themselves capable of with Legions of the Deep, especially song-writing.

adg211288 Legions of the Deep is the second full-length album by UK traditional heavy metal act Arkham Witch. The album was released in 2012. There’s a prevalent Lovecraft influence to be found in this band/album, as well as a decidedly old school take on producing heavy metal music.

Although the group seem to be typically branded as a heavy/doom metal act the traces of doom metal that are to be found on Legions of the Deep actually seem rather vague to my ears, especially with the much more evident influences of thrash metal within the music standing out like a sore thumb. You get, for example, a track such as On a Horse Called Vengeance, which takes the thrash influence pretty much as far as it will go with relatively few elements from Arkham Witch’s usual sound remaining. I really like this song though, I’d say it’s a highlight of the album for the way it brings things up-tempo with its aggressive in your face thrash assault. It most definitely adds great variation to the album, although by the time you reach this track the band has already shown themselves to be no one trick pony. Traditional heavy, thrash, or doom metal though that old school sound and feel is never lost, and that’s what cements the sound of Legions of the Deep together into one coherent package.

Despite what may be seen at a glance as being a dark sounding album because of the Lovecraft themes, Legions of the Deep is actually rather humorous, especially in its second half when the band go into We’re from Keighley, an ode to their hometown containing lyrics along the lines of “Fuck you – we’re from Keighley”. Also of note on the humour front is an unlisted eleventh track, which is actually a version of the song Blood on Satan's Claw, which appeared on the album Portents, Omens & Dooms by The Lamp of Thoth, another UK band which Arkham Witch’s vocalist Simon Iff? and drummer Emily Ningauble are also members of. This track is done acoustic and the closing seconds are perhaps the most humorous part on the whole album. No, don’t ask me about it, spoilers and all. There are quirky moments to be found across the album though, some of them lyrical, some of them simply in the way the music is delivered. In short, Legions of the Deep has a classic fun time feel to it, and the passion of the musicians shows because of that.

Legions of the Deep makes a good first impression and the returns only get better with further spins. Whether the band is playing a lengthy and rather sorrowful sounding heavy/doom metal track like the opening David Lund, or playing at their most thrashy, or having one of their humorous moments, the album is a thoroughly enjoyable experience from beginning to end. An exceptional grade rating is deserved.

88/100

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven (http://metaltube.freeforums.org/arkham-witch-legions-of-the-deep-t2708.html))

UMUR "Legions of the Deep" is the 2nd full-length studio album by UK heavy/doom metal act Arkham Witch. The album was released through Metal on Metal Records in November 2012. Arkham Witch were formed in 2008 and released their debut full-length studio album "On Crom's Mountain" in 2011. The Keighley, West Yorkshire based four-piece are strongly inspired by the horror stories by H.P. Lovecraft, which is apparent in their choice of band name as well as the cover artworks of their releases and in their lyrics.

The music on the album is traditional heavy metal with traditional doom metal elements not too far removed from Dio-era Black Sabbath. There´s also the occasional nod towards old school thrash metal. The best example of that is "On a Horse Called Vengeance", which is more or less a fully fledged thrash metal track. The tracks are riff based and generally heavy as hell, but with a great mid-paced organic groove. The rough voice of Simon Iff? is powerful and melodic enough to provide the music with variation and a memorable melodic edge. There is a great drive in the music, which is very much due to the playing style of drummer Emily Ningauble. She has the most fantastic and powerful organic playing style and whips up heavy stomping beats in loads (I really appreciate the loud and noisy banging on the cymbals). The melodic lead guitar work as well as the heavy riffs are also noteworthy elements in the band´s style. The horror themed lyrics and imagery provide the album with a nice dark atmosphere, which is another great asset. Dark shouldn´t be interpreted as "evil" sounding though as the band also incorporate both anthemic and quite humourous elements to the music. The humour is mostly heard in the anthemic "We´re from Keighley", but tracks like "Gods of Storm and Thunder" and the title track also feature that element.

While the music on "Legions of the Deep" are decidedly retro in sound and style, there´s a bite and conviction behind the delivery that provide the music with a freshness, that not all old school sounding artists have. These guys (and girl) simply kick ass in a manner that´s out of the ordinary. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.