I am extremely proud to anounce that Witchclan are signing to U.S label Elvester Records! The deal came about recently after label owner Erik got hold of a copy of the previous album ‘Misanthropist’.

So what does this mean for the new forthcoming album? Well Darkness Shade Records will still be releasing the cassette version of it which will be limited to 100 copies and due out in the late Summer. Elvester Records are releasing it on vinyl and also on CD. The vinyl will be limited to 500 copies, and the first 100 copies will come with a limited edition fold out poster of the front cover artwork. The vinyl will also feature a bonus track not available on the CD or the tape. The CD will be limited to 1000 copies. There will also be new t shirts available.

This has come at a great time for the band, and I am very excited to join the Elvester Roster. Don’t forget to check out the label and show some support – they are a relatively new label and have just put out their first release by Erik’s band Locust Fork. You can visit the website here, which will soon have some further information about Witchclan.

Well it’s been a long time in the making, but the new Witchclan album is well under way. I started writing the new material almost a year ago but what with one thing and another, the progress has been slow. In recent weeks I have been hard at work in the studio and the recording process is now 80% complete.

At this point, we have 5 brand new songs, 2 re-recordings of old demo material and a cover song. There are currently no titles for the new material despite having previously advised you that there were working titles. The lyrics for the songs I wrote last year have been scrapped and all the lyrics for the new songs are to be written in one large lump in the coming weeks, before the vocals are recorded.

I can reveal to you which demo songs have been re-recorded. In 2010 I released the ‘Descend Into Darkness’ demo tape. One song from that demo, ‘Heaven Abhorred’, has already been re-imagined and found its way onto the last album, and the new album will feature a re-recorded version of ‘Dawn Of The Serpent Kings’ – a song which was originally written in 2009 and at the time of writing it, was the first song I had written in over 17 years.
The other re-recorded demo song was first written all the way back in 1994 when the band was a 5-piece. It’s called ‘Neverending Funeral’ and never actually had an offical release. Witchclan recorded a demo in 1995 which was never released due to the band splitting up later that year – so this will be the song’s first offical release.

The 2011 album ‘Misanthropist’ featured a cover song by Darkthrone, as many of you will know. This time ’round the cover song is somewhat different. Witchclan is, for all intents and purposes, a Black Metal band – however, one must not forget his or hers roots and with this cover song I aim to pay homage to one of the bands who introduced me to the more extreme sounds of Heavy Metal when I was a young kid. I won’t reveal what the cover is at this stage but I will tell you that it was first recorded by the band in question back in 1986 and has remained one of my favourite Metal songs to this day.

So what of the new material? Well I have stayed true to the Black sounds as most of you will be pleased to hear. The songs are strong, the riffs are catchy and overall I think I have achieved some great songs. Complexity through simplicity has been the key here, and I think that those of you who enjoyed the last album will more than enjoy this one. There is something for everyone, and I feel that the material is enriched with a vast array of influences whilst staying true to the Bestial Hell Metal that Witchclan is known for.

Finally, the artwork is to be done once again by Igor Mugerza who did the art for the last two Witchclan releases. I find that his style best suits the band and I am currently in talks with him about which kind of piece work well for the new album. Expect something impressive.

So what’s left to do? Well at the moment none of the songs have vocals, so the process of writing lyrics is next in the pipeline. After all the vocals are recorded I will begin work on the mixing, mastering and final production which I hope to have completed in the next month. Nothing can be rushed with this album because I want it to be the best release by the band so far, and with the current material I can safely say it’s a huge step up from ‘Misanthropist’.

The album will be released later on this year through Darkness Shade Records so keep your eyes peeled and of course keep checking back for more updates. Once everthing is completed I will give one final update before the actual release. Thank you to all of you for the continuous support, and your patience.

Darkest thoughts,

The Witchclan Horde…