Witchery

Witchery
Witchery
	Witchery at Wacken Open Air 2017
Background information
Origin	Linköping, Sweden
Genres	Thrash metal, speed metal, death metal, black metal
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Century Media

Witchery is a Swedish blackened thrash/speed metal band formed by former members of Satanic Slaughter in 1997.^[1] The current lineup consists of guitarists Patrik Jensen and Rickard "Rille" Rimfält, bassist Sharlee D'Angelo, vocalist Angus Norder, and drummer Chris Barkensjö.

History

The band began in 1997 when Swedish cult band Satanic Slaughter split up in a way that basically only left their singer Ztephan Dark in the band. Thus the proto-version of Witchery started out with Satanic Slaughter members Patrik Jensen (Orchriste, The Haunted), Rickard "Rille" Rimfält, vocalist Toxine (Seance, Total Death), drummer Mique (Seance), and bassist Sharlee D'Angelo (Arch Enemy, Mercyful Fate) on board. In 1998 they recorded and released their debut Restless And Dead through Necropolis Records, the name of the album being a pun on Restless and Wild an album by German heavy metal icons Accept. Witchery quickly gathered a cult following with their combination of serious, technical thrash metal and all topics "dead". Their strictly tongue-in-cheek humour, often involving executions, murder, necrophilia, resurrections and other morbid topics can be spotted in song titles and album names as well as in their very own mascot – an animated skeleton called "Ben Wrangle", the name being a pun on the Swedish word "benrangel" which best translates into "skeleton".

Witchery also have their own heavy metal salute, a derivation from the original sign of the horns "Evil Eye" ward popularized by Ronnie James Dio called "The W". For properly "doing the W" only the ring finger and thumb of the performing hand touch. Rumour has it that the salute came into being as somebody in the band tried to do the metal salute with a cigarette between his fingers. This "W" is not to be confused with the Shocker.

Later that year, Witchery released the Witchburner minialbum. The EP featured three originals and four cover songs bearing witness to the individual musicians' influences, among them Accept, W.A.S.P and Judas Priest. The track "Witchburner" being the first ever recording of the band and like the other two original tracks "The Executioner" and "The Howling" only available on this EP so far. In 1999, Witchery embarked on a U.S. tour with Emperor and Borknagar. Their second full-length album Dead, Hot and Ready was unleashed soon thereafter, a six-week European tour following in 2000. Symphony For The Devil, the band's 2001 release, was recorded at Berno Studio (Amon Amarth, Dark Funeral) in Malmö, Sweden with new drummer, Martin "Axe" Axenrot (Bloodbath, Opeth). Witchery returned to tour North America later that year with The Haunted. Returning to Berno Studios in 2004, the band recorded Don't Fear The Reaper, this time entrusting mixing duties to Tue Madsen and his Antfarm Studios (The Haunted, Heaven Shall Burn, Himsa). After recording the album, the band signed a worldwide record deal with Century Media.

In April 2010, black metal singer Legion (Erik Hagsted, ex-Marduk, ex-Devian) joined the band to replace Toxine who had to drop out because of schedule issues. According to the press release the split happened by mutual agreement. The new album entitled "Witchkrieg" (a play on the word Blitzkrieg) was released in June 2010. On 19 June 2010, the band played at the annual Metaltown festival in Gothenburg

Their sixth studio album, In His Infernal Majesty's Service, was released on 25 November on Century Media Records.^[2] It was followed by I am Legion in 2017.

Band members

Current members

Patrik Jensen – guitars (1997–present)
Richard Rimfält – guitars (1997–present)
Angus Norder – vocals (2016–present)
Chris Barkensjö – drums (2016–present)
Victor Brandt – bass (2022–present)

Former members

Sharlee D'Angelo – bass (1997–2022)
Toxine (Tony Kampner) – vocals (1997–2010)
Mique (Micke Pettersson) – drums (1997–1999)
Martin Axenrot – drums (1999–2016)
Legion (Erik Hagstedt) – vocals (2010–2011)
Emperor Magus Caligula – vocals (2011–2016)

Timeline

<timeline> ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:80 top:5 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/2023 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1997 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1998 Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4

Colors =

id:vocals  value:red         legend:Vocals
id:guitar  value:teal        legend:Lead_guitars
id:guitar2 value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitars
id:bass    value:blue        legend:Bass
id:drums   value:orange      legend:Drums,_percussion
id:studio  value:black       legend:Studio_release
id:other   value:gray(0.6)   legend:Other_release
id:bars    value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

LineData =

at:10/02/1998 color:black layer:back
at:03/29/1999 color:other layer:back
at:10/22/1999 color:black layer:back
at:02/01/2001 color:black layer:back
at:02/27/2006 color:black layer:back
at:06/21/2010 color:black layer:back
at:11/25/2016 color:black layer:back
at:11/10/2017 color:black layer:back
at:07/22/2022 color:black layer:back

BarData =

bar:Tony        text:"Tony Kampner"
bar:Erik         text:"Erik Hagstedt"
bar:Magus     text:"Masse Broberg"
bar:Angus     text:"Angus Norder"
bar:Richard   text:"Rickard Rimfält"
bar:Patrik      text:"Patrik Jensen"
bar:Sharlee   text:"Sharlee D'Angelo"
bar:Victor   text:"Victor Brandt"
bar:Mique     text:"Micke Pettersson"
bar:Martin    text:"Martin Axenrot"
bar:Chris      text:"Chris Barkensjö"

PlotData =

width:11
bar:Tony        from:01/01/1997 till:04/01/2010  color:vocals
bar:Erik          from:04/01/2010 till:06/01/2011  color:vocals
bar:Magus     from:06/01/2011 till:04/01/2016  color:vocals
bar:Angus      from:04/01/2016 till:end  color:vocals
bar:Richard    from:01/01/1997 till:end  color:guitar
bar:Patrik       from:01/01/1997 till:end  color:guitar2
bar:Sharlee    from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/2022  color:bass
bar:Victor    from:01/01/2022 till:end  color:bass
bar:Mique      from:01/01/1997 till:07/01/1999  color:drums
bar:Martin      from:07/01/1999 till:04/01/2016  color:drums
bar:Chris        from:04/01/2016 till:end  color:drums
</timeline>

Discography

Studio albums

Restless & Dead (1998)
Dead, Hot and Ready (1999)
Symphony for the Devil (2001)
Don't Fear the Reaper (2006)
Witchkrieg (2010)
In His Infernal Majesty's Service (2016)
I Am Legion (2017)
Nightside^[3] (2022)

EPs

Witchburner – Necropolis (1999)

References

^ "Witchery Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
^ "WITCHERY: Official Lyric Video for New Song 'Nosferatu'". Blabbermouth.net. 21 October 2016.
^ Team, Editorial (14 June 2022). "WITCHERY Announce New Studio Album "Nightside" (Featuring Special Guests CARCASS, MERCYFUL FATE), Official Video for "Popecrusher" Available". Sonic Perspectives. Retrieved 7 December 2023.

External links

Witchery page at Century Media
{{AllMusic}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.

[allmusic-1] "Witchery Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 August 2022.

[2] "WITCHERY: Official Lyric Video for New Song 'Nosferatu'". Blabbermouth.net. 21 October 2016.

[3] Team, Editorial (14 June 2022). "WITCHERY Announce New Studio Album "Nightside" (Featuring Special Guests CARCASS, MERCYFUL FATE), Official Video for "Popecrusher" Available". Sonic Perspectives. Retrieved 7 December 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Witchery
Patrik Jensen Richard Corpse Sharlee D'Angelo Angus Norder Chris Barkensjö Martin Axenrot Toxine Mique Legion Emperor Magus Caligula
Studio albums	Restless & Dead (1998) Dead, Hot and Ready (1999) Symphony For The Devil (2001) Witchkrieg (2010) In His Infernal Majesty's Service (2016)
Extended plays	Witchburner (1999)