Forgotten Gems-Witchkiller-Day of the Saxons

Metal Blade
1984

Canadian band Witchkiller released just album that being this five track EP. I stumbled upon a used copy of this on vinyl at a record store around 1987 or 88. They had long hair, wore leather and had some cheesy rubber mask with them so I bought it for I believe about $3. A great purchase indeed. Think Judas Priest, Manowar, Iron Maiden and other classic style early 80's metal. "Day of the Saxons" charges forward into battle with steady beating drums and stellar vocals. "Riders of doom" begins slow, but quickly enters and Iron Maiden style gallop. This is the longest track on the album and one of the best. "Cry wolf" is a bit more subdued, but eventually it heats up. "Beg for mercy" treads deep into a NWOBHM sound and it has more of a bounce than previous tracks, but the band controls it nicely. Closer "Penance for past sins" focuses around a deep cutting riff. This one might have the grittiest vocals of any of the songs. The only negative for me about this album is that it's only an EP. It ended too fast and left me wanting more. Unfortunately this was it for Witchkiller unless you can track down their demos which I've heard have floated around at different times. Metal Blade put "Day of the Saxons" out on CD some time ago, but it's still fairly easy to find.