Black Widow's lyrics are full of black magic. Their stage show even included a mock sacrifice of a woman! While their lyrics may make Black Sabbath pale in comparison, the music is a strange brew of rock and unlikely elements rather than the overdriven blues Tony Iommi and crew were laying down.
The album opens with "In Ancient Days." A slight organ stab kicks off the album almost like a Scooby Doo, Where Are You? musical cue before building into a mournful organ solo ending with a horrific kaleidoscope of tones. An acoustic guitar begins to strum leading the drums into a surreal atmosphere where a smooth saxophone enters. The band grooves under the verse and you will definitely find yourself humming "I conjure thee, I conjure thee, I conjure thee!"
Uplifting acoustic strumming begins "Way to Power." The bombastic drums enter into a Who-like song. The horns really fit into Black Widow's style.
"Come to the Sabbat" open with tribal drums, flute, and chanting sounding more Native American than devilish. Then, the song turns into a great Jethro Tull style track with a chanting chorus that will ring in your head all day: "Come, come, come to the sabbat, come to the sabbat, Satan's there!"
Cymbal washes fade into "Conjuration." The guitars begin just like Roy Orbison's classic "Running Scared," which surprised me at first. It soon builds into a floating track with those beautiful horns returning to give it an ethereal quality.
"Seduction" begins with vocals and a wah guitar. Strings enter and create a relaxing atmosphere much like the previous track. At about two minutes into this track, the music changes and sounds like opening title music to a 1970s Italian giallo fillm for a while before returning to the opening style.
"Attack of the Demon" is a faster paced organ rocker with yet another great chorus that will be stuck in your head: "All of my sins have left me in hell" with a underlying "Nah nah nah nah."
The final track is "Sacrifice." A fantastic drum fill opens this driving rocker complete with organ and flute. Between verses, there are these great sing-along "Yeah-eah-eah" chants. The songs goes into a little drum and bass breakdown for flute solos that would make Ian Anderson and Rob Burgundy proud. Next, the pace picks up and it's the organ's turn to improvise before returning to the opening groove and bringing it home.
The album is one of those you expect to like as an okay record after the initial play, but it starts to grow on you with each listen. The lyrics are fun and there are lots of great hooks that'll get stuck in your head.
The Repertoire Records CD includes the "Come to the Sabbat" single edit, which excises the opening tribal drums and chanting.
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