It’s clear that Metal was born in England back in the late years of the 60s, with many signs the preceded what BLACK SABBATH unleashed on their first album. And it was on England that it came back after being dragged into underground due the Punk Rock and Disco Music invasions on the second half of the 70s. And during the rise of NWOBHM, one single Metal subgenre was born: Doom Metal, and it gave rise to acts both on USA (as SAINT VITUS, PENTAGRAM, THE OBSESSED, CIRITH UNGOL and TROUBLE) as on UK (PAGAN ALTAR and WITCHFINDER GENERAL were the names), and it was the recovering of the most bitter and heavy elements that were summoned by Iommi, Osbourne, Butler and Ward, and the primordial ideas of Doom Metal are used today, as can be heard on the work of the English act ARKHAM WITCH. And here they are with “Legions of the Deeper Depths”.

The band’s music is a form of Doom Metal that is near of the beginning of the genre, when the outfit was more organic and filled with many influences of traditional Heavy Metal and Hard Rock (on the melodic sense of the songs), with the (back then) quartet using an Old School Doom Metal appeal filled with very good melodies and nasty approach. And this album is, actually, a reissue of their second full-length, “Legions of the Deep” (released originally on 2012), here having as bonus the songs of their EP “Hammerstorm” (2013). It means one can say it’s a very good opportunity to know their work, and for older fans to get the EP as well. The original version was mixed and mastered by Matt Richardson (the same guy who remastered this version), and was mastered by Alex Pohl. As remastering isn’t remixing, the original tunes are preserved, just with a ‘shine’ on the sonority, with that rough and organic appeal that classic Doom Metal bears. And the band used the same artwork (created by Jowita Kamińska-Peruzzi, with layout of Simone A. Peruzzi), but with an updated outfit; and it must be said that Leo Stivala (of FORSAKEN, ANCHORITE and WOVEN HOUR) is the guest on the additional vocals on the song “Legions of the Deep”.

It can be said that their Doom Metal efforts with influences of traditional Heavy Metal keep the English traditions on the genre with honor, as heard on “David Lund” (bitter guitar riffs oppressing with weight, and very good chorus), “At the Mountains of Madness” (excellent melodies and thunderous bass guitar and drums work), “Iron Shadows in the Moon”, “Infernal Machine”, “The Cloven Sea”, “On a Horse Called Vengeance” (the oppressive appeal of this one is impossible to resist to), “Gods of Storm and Thunder” (these catchy melodies are very good, indeed), “Kult of Kutulu”, “Legions of the Deep” (that follows a more traditional Heavy Metal tendency, with fine vocals), and “We’re from Keighley”. And as said above, “Hammerstorm”, “For Metal” and “Metal Queen” are all from the EP “Hammerstorm”, remastered as the others (and maybe easier to find them the original version), except for their version for THOR’s “Thunder on the Tundra”.

For the fans of ARKHAM WITCH, this reissue is a fine opportunity and one more item to buy. For those that aren’t into their work, “Legions of the Deeper Depths” is a fine moment to know their music, before the Great Old Ones return.