Vindicator
The Antique Witcheries

August 2010
Released: 2010, Heavy Artillery Records
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Robert Williams

Vindicator of South Amherst, Ohio are back with their follow up the 2008 released full length "There Will Be Blood" with THE ANTIQUE WITCHERIES the band's first offering for Heavy Artillery Records.



The classical intro piece "Gates of Inequity" sets an eerie tone with it's harpsichordal haunting presence. "Beneath The Guillotine" is the album's first proper track and is a mid-paced headbanger centered around thrashy riffs and some tasteful soloing. "Communal Decay" displays a strong Bay Area influence much in line with early Testament and Exodus, the difference being the semi nascent vocal approach of Marshall Law who is more comparable with Bobby Blitz of East Coast's finest Overkill while "Fearmonger" recalls the mile a minute lyrical delivery of classic Dirty Rotten Imbeciles.



The title track on THE ANTIQUE WITCHERIES is musically more NWOBHM oriented than the first half of the disc, yet retains the thrashy backbone of Vindicator's sound. "Sewn To The Flesh" features a pit inducing eighties hardcore bassline before kicking into high gear with a double bass drum heavy attack come first verse and chorus while the next track Vindicator opens with a bleak and dreary acoustic guitar passage before tearing your face off with the band's play on dynamics. THE ANTIQUE WITCHERIES comes to a close with the melodic "Strange Aeons" a song lyrically detailing with a sea monster on outreaching it's tentacles for a killing spree.



This is a solid album from a hopeful young band of players who all bear strong influences from some of the genres finest acts. Heavy Artillery has a knack for cherry picking some of the choicest acts from the current crop of retro thrash bands and this release is no exception to that rule. In that regard, Vindicator are a safe bet.