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Imagine if Rush loosened up and aspired to be KISS. Picture Judas Priest kids in a Ween world. Think Tolkien and Freddie Mercury collaborating on the next AC/DC record. Favorite lyric from new CD “Mastery of the Steel”: “Are you male, are you female? Are you maybe an alien from a spaceship sent to teach me how to love?” -Boston Herald
Get out your swords ... seriously. Missouri's own Witch's Hat comes to the east coast for an April battle, including a New York residency. The eclectic band combines their love for all things medieval with epic rock songs for their latest album, Mastery Of Steel, out now on Emergency Umbrella Records. From what we've heard on their recordings, we're out to bet that their live show is pretty fantastical! -CMJ
If four dudes who grew up on vintage metal like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest resided in NYC during the dance-punk explosion, they'd either throw full beers at the Rapture every time they took the stage, or they'd start a band that sounds like Witch's Hat. That's right — somehow a band has found a way to combine big guitars, a crafty rhythm section, half-shouted vocals and lyrics about octopuses, dragon slayers, vampires and aliens into a great record.
So how do they combine the fist-pumping machismo of metal with the too-cool-for-school hip of dance punk? Well, they don't. Witch's Hat casts off both those genres' prerequisites, instead creating a vibe that is both irony- and posturing-free. Sure, the fantasy lyrics can't be serious, but they seem to come more from the realm of goofy good times than from masculine assertion or tongue-in-cheek pretentiousness, and the music seems to work the same way. The funky bass lines aren't a demonstration of virtuosity, just a push onto the dance floor, while the bravado behind lyrics about robots aren't a display of testosterone, just a way to keep rocking — the only goal that Witch's Hat seems to have. -The Cleveland Free Times
The record’s strength lies in its clever lyrics and detailed compositions, which are expertly arranged and demand a serious listen despite their superficial silliness. Standouts include "Popsicles," with its majestic horns; "Glodyany, 1972," the album’s closer; and "Space Baby," its first single. -Columbia Tribune
There is something undeniably epic about a band whose music creates mythical visions from ancient and future worlds, boldly walking the line between darkly menacing and delightfully playful, and only with slightest hint of irony....
"Huzzah" is an invigorating story of a dragon slayer determined to save the virgin princess against all odds, and "Glodyany 1972", is a haunting narrative of a vampire hunted by townspeople. Shamed by his thirst for blood but terrified of death, the vampire lives in hiding and awaits his fate. "Come and take me if you can," he begs. "I'm ready/I'm waiting."...
Such tales are absurd, but Witch's Hat revels in absurdity. The characters are built with a narrator's expertise so that one can't help but feel the emotion in each story. Mastery of the Steel takes an original approach to rock music, and it gives new meaning to the concept of a timeless album. -Vox
Mix Frank Zappa with Queen. Add a little Rush, some Iron Maiden and a dash of Dr. Seuss. Top that with the drummer from Cheap Trick, and you have the recipe for Witch’s Hat. -The Maneater
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