Witchcraft man tries some new alchemy
Isn’t it great to live in a world where folk music is cool again? Bob Dylan has just won the Nobel prize for poetry for goodness sake and the likes of Seth Lakeman are making wonderful, authentic, rootsy music.
It’s about time for metal to have a go, surely?
The clue here is in the band name. “Time” is Witchcraft main man Magnus Pelander’s first solo record and one which sees him give vent to the side of him that you always thought he might fully realise one day.
“Time” is six lengthy, and somewhat mystical songs. Largely just the man himself with an acoustic. He’s helped by the odd flute flourish and some female vocals here and there – and it’s wonderful.
It immediately suckers you into its gloriously beguiling web, with “Umbrella” which is simple as it is beautiful and poetic, and “Family Song” hides its pain behind an upbeat strum.
“The Irony Of Man” is altogether more morose and so fragile that you feel it might break at any moment – especially in the superb almost duetted moments.
But after these is actually when “Time” really hits its straps. Because it does something pretty unexpected and gets good and psychedelic to go with it. It takes real skill to carry an acoustic song for nine minutes, but this one does. And it does so in truly captivating fashion.
“Precious Swan” is longer – clocking in at nearly sixty seconds longer than its predecessor – but it is arguably even better, as Pelander exercises all of his Led Zep IV fantasies in one fell swoop (around the two minute mark he appears to channel Robert Plant) to wonderful effect.
The album ends with the title track, and also with a plaintive cry from Pelander of “will I ever find peace of mind?” as the descent into some kind of private hell continues.
All of which adds a rather urgent and somewhat disconcerting element to what is a real off-kilter gem.
You might even say its folk-ing good. But you probably shouldn’t.
Rating 8/10
