Witches Hammer Mortalas EP
This. Is. Awesome! I did a double-take when I saw this in my pile of records to review, as the only WITCHES HAMMER I knew of was the legendary Canadian thrash metal band, and sure enough this is a reissue of their debut release. Musically, it’s an absolute milestone in crossover history: raw and frantic, with an obvious punk influence bubbling below the surface (D-beats are present, for example). It was and is a great record, but the most appealing element of this package is the amazing, hefty booklet which includes band photos, flyers (WITCHES HAMMER performed plenty of DIY gigs with the likes of SNFU, the ACCÜSED, the BONELESS ONES, DOA, and VERBAL ABUSE), and a lengthy band history by guitarist Marco that makes it very clear that the band were more comfortable interacting with and performing for Vancouver’s punk scene than metalheads. Supreme Echo have put together a superlative package here: the remastered material sounds great, the pocket sleeve is sturdy and glossy, and the booklet is as good as anything you’d get from a reissue label like Radio Raheem or GTA. This’ll obviously mostly appeal to the crossover-curious, but anyone with an interest in Canadian punk history will enjoy the archival material included. This is a top-quality reissue and one that I am surprised and pleased to see included in the pages and archives of MRR.