Originally released in 2014, East German black/thrashers Nocturnal Witch’s “Summoning Hell” is now reissued by High Roller Records on CD and vinyl. Graced with tinges of punk and an insidious catchiness, the duo’s debut album has become a sought-after underground classic worth revisiting or discovering for the first time.
“It was created in our old rehearsal room at the time, a former office complex in the middle of nowhere,” vocalist/guitarist Tyrant and drummer Baphomet remember. “A dreary place, but for that very reason good to write music.” Which the two do without any specific goals, in the process reworking the songs until both are comfortable with them. In fact, this modus operandi didn’t change with the follow-up “A Thousand Pyres” (2019) and has remained in place until today.
With galloping standout tunes such as ‘Among the Ruins of the Dead’ or ‘Black Death’ and its obvious nods to the pioneers of the genre (think Venom and early Bathory), “Summoning Hell” has definitely stood the test of time. Meanwhile, Tyrant and Baphomet are hard at work to finish songwriting for their third full-length, which they will start recording later this year.
“Over time, musical influences and perspectives change and expand,” they say in closing. “We have a lot more experience now, both as musicians and songwriters. As a result, we incorporate a wider range of influences into our music. We don’t sit down to write a typical black-thrash song. It comes as it comes – and that's what makes it exciting for us.”
1. Hellfire Cult
2. Black Star
3. Among the Ruins of the Past
4. Realm of the Dead
5. Black Death
6. Resurrected Darkness
7. Storm of Violence
8. Possessed
9. H.M.S.S.