Witchcraft  has announced they will be releasing a  new album, Black Metal on May 1, 2020. The band is currently made up of Magnus Pelander on vocals and guitar, Rage Widerberg on drums and Tobias Anger on bass. They released a self-titled debut album In 2004.  Witchcraft then released Legend in 2012 before putting out Nucleus in 2016, which according to a statement, “became cult classics and propelled the band to new levels of reverence within their scene.” The guitar and vocals go far in their songs which have depth and meaning.

In the new track, “Elegantly Expressed Depression” the guitar leads the way in a gentle, delicate strum before Pelander’s voice comes through in a haunting, yet beautiful fashion. The lyrics blend with the guitar in a love ballad that is perfectly expressed by Pelandar in a passionate way throughout the track. It’s clear that this new facet of the band’s sound allows the rawness and fragility to shine in an entirely new light.

Black Metal is the band’s first new album in four years and is entirely acoustic. The album is described as having the minimalism of Bill Callaghan, the tenderness of Elliot Smith and the air of slight discomfort that could only be Witchcraft. All of this combine to make this record a truly unique spectacle, not only in the band’s catalogue, but in the world of guitar music as it stands in 2020.

Back in 2000, lead vocalist, Magnus Pelander decided to form the band so that he could record a tribute to his idols Roky Erickson and Pentagram’s Bobby Liebling. The pioneering band has never made excuses for their inspirations, but went on to craft numerous genre-defining classics themselves. Pelandar has been at the forefront ever since.

Now, Black Metal will be coming out as CD, vinyl and in digital formats on May 1 via Nuclear Blast, pre-save here. Witchcraft has also announced to play a few selected shows this year, such as at Desertfest Berlin and London.

Black Metal track list:

1. Elegantly Expressed Depression
2. A Boy And A Girl
3. Sad People
4. Grow
5. Free Country
6. Sad Dog
7. Take Him Away