With current and former members of The Haunted, Mercyful Fate, Marduk, Séance, Arch Enemy, Bloodbath, and Opeth in their ranks, Witchery is about as close as it gets to a supergroup in extreme metal. As if that weren’t enough, Witchkrieg includes guest guitar work by Kerry King (Slayer), Gary Holt & Lee Altus (Exodus), Andy Larocque (King Diamond), Jim Durkin (Dark Angel), and Hank Shermann (Mercyful Fate). Witchery’s last album, Don’t Fear the Reaper, was released in 2006, and Witchkrieg sees a new vocalist at the mic, Legion (Erik Hagsted) who was with Marduk from 1995-2003. Legion turns in a commendable performance on Witchkrieg, lending some blackened growl to the sound while maintaining the intelligibility appropriate to the music. His vocals are entirely credible as seriously evil even if the whole Witchery affair is a little less so. Don’t buy it? Check the whispers on album closer, Witch Hunter. Yeah, burn bitch! You “whore of Satan.”

Yes, it is true that Kerry King makes up about 20% of his solos as he plays them (his words, not mine) and we all know what they’re going to sound like – whammy bar extravaganzas. It goes over better when there’s only one on a record, though. King’s work on opening track Witchkrieg is par for the course but it isn’t particularly offensive. Holt & Altus jump in on track 5, The Reaver, and while their execution is predictably outstanding, they carry on a bit too long for a Witchery song. Andy LaRocque is featured on track 6, From Dead to Worse, one of the more melodic, mid-paced tracks and his work fits the mood nicely. The standout among the bunch is Jim Durkin’s work on track 8, One Foot in the Grave. Although none of the guest spots is a major complaint, only two succeed appreciably, leading to the conclusion that Witchkrieg might have been just fine without the outsourcing, especially when the in-house talent acquit themselves as well as Patrik Jensen and Richard Corpse do on the rest of the album. Whatever. I’m sure they all had a blast making the album and that’s fitting in its own way.

This is the kind of thrash that will really connect with many fans of the genre. Calling the scene crowded would suggest there is such a thing as too much thrash, which is a ridiculous proposition, but it is fair to say it’s a subgenre that currently allows the discerning listener to exercise some discrimination when selecting a purchase. If you agree that Warbringer are extremely talented but boring, that Municipal Waste are silly and sloppy, and that much of what is billed as modern thrash is actually melodeath, then you will love Witchkrieg; not because it stands on its own as an excellent record, but because it stands as an example of what is great about authentic, well-crafted thrash metal.