Witchkiller - Day of the Saxons (1984)

Obscure EP from a band with a great name - this is very much sword and sorcery heavy metal, chest pounding, swords, axes, dungeons, war, dragons and shields, and yet somehow in its formulaic presentation this is fantastic metal. These guys formed in '81, and hail from Canada, although there is a slight European feel to proceedings, maybe it's the vocal delivery - particularly on the title track - from Domenic Sciascia. Sadlt, apart from this EP and a couple of demo's the band did fuck all else, and so drifted aimlessly into the void of 'cult', but what they left behind is still a good, iron-clad effort. Of the five tracks on offer it's 'Riders of Doom' which stands out with its atmospheric intro, but each track is mystical dose of metal for the purists. There were hundreds, if not thousands of bands like this back in the early to mid '80s, but a majority of them were pretty good, and the delightfully named Witchkiller came armed to the teeth and ready for battle.
7.5/10