The first release for 'Wytchfynde' the spin-off from NWOBHM's 'Witchfynde' which features only vocalist 'Luther Beltz' from the original line-up. The sound is quite different from the original early 80's group, as we have a more straight-up Metal approach which occasionally borders on Power Metal, there is however still a NWOBHM influence there, that should please fans of that genre. This for me this is an album with plenty of potential but ultimately comes unstuck, firstly the production is poor especially for 2001, the bass in places is far too heavy in the mix, while on other tracks there's too much treble, this is all combined with a general lack of crispness. Vocalist 'Luther Beltz' is also a mixed bag, at times he sounds solid with his interpretation of a poor man's 'Rob Halford', on other occasions his weakness of range and consistency do become apparent. Lyrically it's all pretty good, Ok the concept for the tracks isn't the most imaginative but they do the Undead / Netherworld theme a lot better than some. Musically the band turn in solid performances and in all honesty, with better vocal arrangements and a smoking production this would be a damn fine album, as it is, it just falls short.

First up is 'Hell hath no Fury' a pulsating opener which immediately brings to light the ropy production, despite this it's a decent number, the chorus is strong and punchy, with solid lyrics and a head moving rhythm throughout. Better still is the hard hitting rocker 'Death of Innocence' a song which reminds me of 'Saxon' 'Metalhead' era and as with the first track the quality pulsating rhythm makes the song, while 'Luther Beltz' turns in a strong vocal display to make this my favourite cut. The pace drops for the mid tempo 'Vampyre's Tale', but for me this comes off poorly, the whole track sounds awkward and aside from the strong NWOBHM feel, is definitely one of the weaker efforts present. Improvements are made with the more intelligent sounding 'Blessed Be' a well developed effort which is a little reminiscent of the old 'Witchfynde'. After a slow start it picks up into a decent rocker, with fret work that is fast and challenging, regrettably some of the vocals passages sound a bit light and do bring the track down. Next up is 'To the Devil a Daughter' which borrows very heavily from 'Judas Priest' especially the intro, another decent effort with a tasty instrumental break, maybe it's just the poor production but it doesn't quite make the mark for me. The title track follows, a slower plodding number a sort of poor man's early 'Sabbath', the bass levels are far too high which doesn't add anything to this average endeavour. The tempo is reinstated for 'Unholy Shadows' a 'Dioesque' plodder that starts out promising with cutting vocals and a solid driving rhythm, loses it's way a tad but still a fair offering. 'One Step Closer (to Hell)' is a kind of balladsy effort, I don't believe it works at all, again the track is poorly mixed with the bass thumping out the speakers, overpowering everything else. Much better is the 'Saxon' type rocker 'Unknown Soldier', the blend of subtle verses with powerful chorus is effective as are the lyrics and sweet guitar solo. The tempo is lifted even further for the fast and furious 'Ghost Dancer' a brisk blazer with owes more than a nod to the classic 'Accept' sound, definitely one of the best tracks present. The final number 'Arken Asylum' is a bit of a throw away track, a heavily spoken (ranted) piece with an atmospheric melody in the background.

I would rate this album a lot higher if it wasn't for the murky production and a couple of duff tracks, as there's more than a few glimpses of classic 80's Metal. I would like to see a follow up to this release, retaining the same themes but this time with a budget for the production!