Californians Helsott kick off 2022 with their debut single and title track from their upcoming concept album, Will And The Witch, mixed and mastered by JF Dagenais (Kataklysm, Ex Deo), out this spring via M-Theory Audio. Since their 2019 incarnation, Helsott have amassed a respectable discography including two EPs and two feature films. They have toured across North America and Europe and performed at several festivals including Wacken Open Air.
On this new disc, Helsott returns to its roots by adding orchestrations composed by the group. Overall, Will And The Witch will have more thrash elements and less orchestration than their previous work, resulting in a little less complexity than previous albums, while keeping the essence intact while taking off guard listeners with new influences befitting the theme of the album, but maintains the band’s underlying core which is definitely Helsott.
“The album is a recording concept. It’s basically a fan-fiction story about how Billy The Kid became the fastest shooter in the Wild West,” says lead singer Eric Dow. “There are southern vibes with the banjo and the fiddle. There are Native American vibes with hand drums and flute. There’s thrash metal, power metal, death metal, and even acoustic campfire tracks. We think there are enough flavors on this album to keep any listener engaged and eager to listen again and again. The title track explores the relationship between the album’s two main characters. Musically, it’s melodic and thrashy, but also catchy and fun, so I think it’s a great song to introduce the listener to wholeness.”
“The album is a recording concept. It’s basically a fan-fiction story about how Billy The Kid became the fastest shooter in the Wild West,” says lead singer Eric Dow. “There are southern vibes with the banjo and the fiddle. There are Native American vibes with hand drums and flute. There’s thrash metal, power metal, death metal, and even acoustic campfire tracks. We think there are enough flavors on this album to keep any listener engaged and eager to listen again and again. The title track explores the relationship between the album’s two main characters. Musically, it’s melodic and thrashy, but also catchy and fun, so I think it’s a great song to introduce the listener to wholeness.”
The video for “Will And The Witch” was created by Raf Ortega (Ayreon, Subterranean Masquerade). Watch below:
Heavy and eclecticly enchanting, Helsott weaves tales from mythology and history and is recommended for fans of Amon Amarth, Ensiferum and Moonsorrow. The full album, Will And The Witch, is due out in May 2022 and will include a host of special guest roster.
