WITCHFINDER GENERAL - New Studio Album To Be Called Resurrected
by Martin Popoff

NWOBHM doom pioneers WITCHFINDER GENERAL are halfway through Resurrected, their third studio album, follow-up to doom classic Friends Of Hell from 1983 and Death Penalty from 1982.

Mystery vocalist Zeeb Parkes is not in the lineup, however founding member Phil Cope (guitars) is on board, as well as the band's last drummer from '83, '84, Dermont "Derm The Germ" Redmond and last bassist, Rod Hawkes, with the band from '82 to '84. On vocals is Gary "Gaz" Martin, who has over 25 years experience as a front man.

"I didn't really want to ever go on the road again," explains Cope, "but I just wanted to give people who stood by the band something to remember us by. So I got twisted into it, just another album, and that's it, and then we'll die gently, naturally, I should say. We've put four tracks down, and we're just waiting for the vocals now. He's just picking up the melody and the lyrics. And it should be recorded in the next two weeks. So that's the four numbers we've got down, and they're nearly complete. And then we'll move on to the next four, and that will make up the album. But I'll never go on the road again. Too old."

Along with divulging the album title, Phil offered two song titles: 'The Living Hell' and 'The Gift Of Life'.

Is there a label deal? "Not at the moment. Once it's all recorded, I'll look at offers. But it will possibly be with Russ Vrankovich, because if it hadn't been for Russ, none of this would've been happening for us later."

Vrankovich commandeered the assembly of a Witchfinder General live album called Live '83, out last year - see the band's official website, www.witchfindergeneral.net for details, although the area in the discography section on it suggests people try eBay.

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