Sometimes the name of the band you are listening doesn't fit the music you hear, at least not in your mind. When I saw the name of this band, WYTCH HAZEL, from Lancaster, England, I envisaged myself listening to Occult Metal in one way or form. You can imagine my surprise when this band, that has been around since 2011, started playing old fashioned Melodic Rock, leaning towards AOR. If they still would have used their original name, JERUSALEM, it would have fit. But as that name was already taken, they changed it to WYTCH HAZEL.

As the title of the album suggests, "IV: Sacrament" is the fourth full length record that WYTCH HAZEL is letting loosen the world. The first three being "Prelude" from 2016, "II: Sojourn", which was released in 2018 and "III: Pentecost", which saw the light of day in 2020. WYTCH HAZEL currently are with quite a small label, but I have to admit that BAD OMEN RECORDS are doing a good job in promoting the band and the album. Because there is no other way to say this; "IV: Sacrament" is a beautiful piece of polycarbonate/vinyl that houses 43 minutes of bloody pleasant Melodic Rock.

The production is a little too flat to give the music its full potential, but the music makes up for that in more ways than one. Every song has a proper opening, a solid body and a fine ending. The instrumentalists know what they are doing, and in spite of the production not wowing me, "IV: Sacrament" is a vey fine sounding album. On top of that we have the vocals, and although the fit the music perfectly, they could have done with some sprucing up.

I just have the feeling that WYTCH HAZEL could do with a little spicing up. If they would do that, it would enhance the already very pleasing experience of listening to their musical endeavours. I don't want to put down the efforts of the current record company, but I feel that if a bigger one would have been the bosses, they would have wanted the band to sound just that bit livelier. But then again, if that is the only critique I can gather on "IV: Sacrament", I have to admit it feels like nitpicking. WYTCH HAZEL is a treat for every Melodic Rock lover, after all is said and done. And "IV: Sacrament" is another piece of proof to endorse that.