VIPERWITCH hailing from Denver, Colorado were formed in 2014. They are a Heavy Metal band and after 10 years, they eventually release their debut full-length album. “Witch Hunt: Road To Vengeance” was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Freddy Pinero, vocalist Danica Minor and bassist Jason Pinero. It was produced by Danica Minor and bassist Jason Pinero. The album has a length of about 39 minutes, and it was released via US Heavy, Power, and Speed Metal specialists Stormspell Records.

 The album starts with the cinematic, tension-building, and spoken-word 3-minutes intro “Road To Vengeance: Descendents Of The Gods”, which also include prominent keyboard contributions, and eventually the guitars release the tension towards the end of the intro. “Legend Of The Midnight Rider: Saxon Killer” is then a two-minutes instrumental, before the Heavy Metal attack really starts with the fast track “Hellbound”. It has many Power Metal vibes, in particular during the verse parts with tight guitar riffs and a lot of double-bass drumming. There are a few tempo and rhythm switches as the track has a few mid-tempo parts. The female vocals are Rock-oriented and vary between the medium to higher end of the vocal range. The track includes guest vocalist Devin Reiche (ANUBIS), and his vocal contribution gives the track an additional layer.

“Hellbound” is a good “opening” track after the intro and the instrumental. The album comes with many intros, pre-ludes, and inter-ludes and “The Ritual: Infinite Nocturn Rises” is such pre-lude. It is two-parted with a first cinematic, monastry-inspired sound transitioning into an 80s Pop sound used as a pre-lude for “The Viperwitch”, a traditional Heavy Metal track at mid-tempo with thunderous and cool guitar riffs and catchy melodies. The female vocals get harsh vocal support and that brings additional heaviness to the track during the chorus parts. “The Viperwitch” is a cool track with a few BURNING WITCHES vibes and it is one of the best songs on the album.

 “Bathory” continues with the mid-tempo Heavy Metal sound and tight guitar riffing. It follows a classical song structure of verse/bridge/chorus parts. The melodies are again catchy. There is a short break with a short but very contributing lead guitar solo. The vocals have, once again, background vocal support for the chorus parts. “Bathory” is another album highlight. After the two-minutes inter-lude “Vapor City: Blood & Steel Upon The Silver Tower”, which consists of a keyboard part and a cool lead guitar solo, the album continues with the mid-tempo track “The Huntress”. The classical Heavy Metal vibes shine through every note of this song. It is one of the heaviest album tracks and this is down to the additional harsh vocals and the guitar riffing that is direct and aggressive. It also includes a contributing lead guitar solo, which is unfortunately kept relatively short. “The Huntress” is the official video release, and the YouTube link is provided below.

 “Bloodmoon” is another of those inter-ludes and it is almost like a three-minutes radio play. During the final part of “Bloodmoon”, the acoustic guitars introduce the next track “She-Wolves Of The Wastelands”, which goes back to the well-tried mid-tempo Heavy Metal sound. It is another catchy song with cool guitar riffs, great melodies, sing-along choruses, and on top of it, an excellent lead guitar solo. “The Proving Grounds: Tooth and Nail” is a bit of weirdo as it is a 90-seconds repeat of the chorus part of the previous track. “No Gods, No Masters” starts with strong basslines transitioning into a mixture of fast verse parts and mid-tempo chorus parts. The riffing is tight, and the verse parts come with Power Metal vibes and double-bass drumming. The chorus parts deliver the catchiness in the melodies, but the ultimate highlight of the track is the break with the lead guitar solo. “No Gods, No Masters” is another one of my favourites on the album. It was almost a bit predictable, the album closes with the outro “Unnumbered Tears: The Reckoning”.

 VIPERWITCH release an interesting debut album. “Witch Hunt: Road To Vengeance” combines traditional New Wave of Heavy Metal with a theatric concept and post-apocalyptic features. Looking at the Heavy Metal tracks alone, it is time travel back to the 80s Heavy Metal sound and it is a solid delivery of classic guitar riffs and solos. The many pre- and inter-ludes add something extra at times but are often quite lengthy. The album production is far from its best. “Witch Hunt: Road To Vengeance” offers a different approach to classic Heavy Metal and fans who are open to theatre and fantasy enriched with an electronic 80s sound will like what they hear.