Metal Underground.com

With a sound that recalls the likes of Sabbath and Priest circa the early 1980s, Witchcraft weaves quite a musical spell on "Legend." And, unlike a lot of other bands that adopt such traditional sounds, these Swedish rockers are careful to add enough original elements to the formula that the music feels timeless.

Singer-guitarist Magnus Pelander is excellent throughout, with vocals ranging from the more delicate sounds of "Flag Of Fate" and "White Light Suicide" to the higher, almost Bono-like tones he adopts of the slide-guitar-filled "An Alternative To Freedom."

On guitars, Pelander, Tom Jondelius and Simon Solomon create an excellent blend of classic metal sounds. The opener, "Deconstruction," with its doomy opening and time shift feels a bit like a Dio-era Sabbath tune, while "An Alternative To Freedom" wallows in slide-soaked blues.

The rhythm section of drummer Oscar Johansson and Ola Henriksson adds a great dose of Bonham-Jones-style funk to the proceedings on tracks like "Ghosts House" and "It's Not Because Of You."

There's not much negative to say about the album. Even its least worthy track, the somewhat jerky "Democracy," has a great guitar solo to recommend it, along with a literal "fuck you" vocal break that's surprisingly effective.

Witchcraft embraces the traditions established by the likes of Sabbath, Priest and Zeppelin — and adds their own spin on them, to splendid effect — on "Legend." If you're looking for a modern take on the sounds established by metal's founding fathers, this one will be music to your bleeding ears.