Style: Extreme gothic/black metal
Primary Emotions/Themes: A true return to the roots, this is how it's done folks
Thoughts: I never thought they had it in them. So many bands try to recapture the magic of their youth with limited to no success. Cradle have done the near impossible with Hammer of the Witches... they have managed to create an album that is as good as their early works.
Starting with the intro, it has the same ominous melodies that Cruelty or Dusk have... always a good sign. Transitioning directly into Yours Immortally... we get one of the only parts of the album that is a slight misstep. The opening riff is a bit lacking for me... but everything after is vintage Cradle. Especially around 3 minutes into the song where the band draws back to only drums and bass and adds one instrument back one at a time. The keyboards build then the guitars, then Dani's whispered vocals come in. God damn this is good.
Deflouring the Maidenhead is another song that is near perfect. The song has huge thrash influences with the main riffing and solos, Dani spits his vitriol over top with a venom that I haven't heard from him since... Midian? When the chorus comes in though, this is where the song really shines. The keyboards pick up the atmosphere to epic levels and dueling female vocals come in with an intensity that is rare. This whole part of the song is goosebumps every. single. time.
Rarely can bands recapture the energy and ferocity of their youth. This is one of the very very few occasions that I would put this album against any of the early works and consider them equal. This is a top three Cradle album... a true return to form.
Written September 9th 2024
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