Black Widow: Sacrifice (CD X2 on Repertoire Records)

Band: Black Widow
Label: Repertoire Records
Title: Sacrifice

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Band:Black Widow
Title:Sacrifice
Reviewed By:Paul Waller
Date Published:18/01/2015

Label:Repertoire Records
Format:CD X2
Release Year:0
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To finally get a hold of a copy of this was something quite special. And although I had heard a track or two on YouTube I didn’t really know much more than the myth of Black Widow. I knew the band existed around the same time as early Black Sabbath and often people would confuse the two. I understood that the main difference between them was that Black Widow dealt purely with the occult and were a lot more serious about it, but Sabbath had the better songs and heavier style.

Now from reading the notes in the booklet here it appears my previous ideas about the band were almost spot-on. Musically at least I believe the two groups are incomparable, Black Widow play in an almost early Genesis progressive rock style whilst Sabbath buried their heads in thick riffs and a skewed take on the blues. They sound nothing alike. But the image, well, this is where both bands seem to blend quite well. For not one second am I convinced that Black Widow were serious about their occult vision in a way like Chicago’s Coven were. It’s unintentionally Spinal Tap in many places and comes across like any pulp horror movie or novel might, simply a work of fiction.

None of this would matter though if the songs were redundant slaps of long forgotten trash, which of course they are not. ‘Sacrifice’ is a concept album of sorts and the devilish welcoming into the realm of dark arts seems to be the theme. I can get with it. It’s fun.

Album opener ‘In Ancient Days’ feels cosmic in its approach. It’s very much a product of its time and yet very listenable, it’s as if Deep Purple, after recording their second record decided to approach the recording of their self-titled platter with satanic references and then scrapped the whole idea and wrote ‘April’ instead. That’s the talent on display here. It’s a pretty complex yet tuneful listen, the Hammond organ is perhaps too prominent but on tracks such as ‘Come to the Sabbat’ it doesn’t matter, by the time the chorus kicks in you feel like you are in on the fun.

Alas, that’s all this is. A simple bit of fun, a foot note in rock music’s back pages. I was hoping to be blown away like I was when I recently discovered Mountain and Bang but it simply didn’t happen. Now don’t get me wrong, this remixed and mastered box set ticks all the boxes for a lavishly reissued package but I believe the band has been overlooked for a reason. There are simply many better low level and overlooked bands from the late 60s and early 70s. Black Widow were no Black Sabbath.

Track Listing:

01) In Ancient Days
02) Way to Power
03) Come to the Sabbat
04) Conjuration
05) Seduction
06) Attack of the Demon
07) Sacrifice
08) Come to the Sabbat
09) In Ancient Days
10) Way to Power
11) Come to the Sabbat
12) Conjuration
13) Seduction
14) Attack of the Demon
15) Sacrifice
16) Outro 2b

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Entertaining but superficial debut album from occult-influenced psychedelic band Black Widow, which originally released in 1970, has now been reissued in a two CD/DVD box set

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Sacrifice - CD X2
Entertaining but superficial debut album from occult-influenced psychedelic band Black Widow, which originally released in 1970, has now been reissued in a two CD/DVD box set

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