If you want to be technical, an alchemist transforms base metals into gold — or at least, that’s what they tried to do.

Well, Witchcraft’s dark, grimy stoner-rock was hardly “base metal” to begin with — no pun intended — but the Swedish band are even more polished in their third full-length album, “The Alchemist.” Lots of heavy blazing stoner-rock tinged with metal and blues, but faster and more energetic than in their last album.

I started getting uneasy with the first song, “Walk Between the Lines,” a relatively sprightly song full of twisting guitar and nimble drums. For Witchcraft, this is positively poppy, but it has the hard edges to keep you listening, especially when Magnus Pelander is unleashing his dramatic, sinuous vocals.

Then things REALLY get moving with the fiery, driven doom-rocker “If Crimson Was Your Colour.” The songs that follow are a bit more in the vein of their past releases — grimy, retro-flavoured stoner hard-rock, with slowly twisting riffs and intense melodies. But they are a little faster and more energetic than before, and the sound suits them.

Things do pep up a little in the last quarter with the energetic “Remembered.” But the album really blossoms with the fifteen-minute finale: a solid stoner-rocker that dissolves into a melodious, airy little guitar tune laced with watery synth. Then it picks up steam again, and grinds back into a rapid-fire hard-rocker… and ends with a lonely little riff.

“The Alchemist” is a bit more friendly to new listeners than Witchcraft’s past two albums. But they haven’t sacrificed more than a little of their brooding stoner-rock sound — it’s still driving hard-rock with a doom edge, as well as heavy doses of blues-rock and psychedelica. Think the Black Angels meet Wolfmother.

Each song is driven by gut-grinding, fuzzy basslines with lots of sizzling, twisting guitar riffs, and Pelander, Ola Henriksson and John Hoyles twist those instruments into a hazy, unstoppable storm. As if the seventies doom-rock weren’t enough , they line a few of the songs with Fredrik Jansson’s solid drums, jazzy trumpet, and some colourful retro keyboard.

That retro feeling isn’t hurt by Pelander — think Jim Morrison, but far more dramatic. He’s got the vocal strength to roar above the louder songs (“Imposter without knowing/Your belief’s been defiled!”), but a smooth, sensual enough voice for the softer songs. And he sings some excellent, vaguely poetic songs about fantasy staples — dragons, the lifetimes of kingdoms, magicians and temples.

“The Alchemist” isn’t pure gold, but it’s a solid nugget of powerful hard rock, with a bluesy retro flavour. Definitely casts a spell.
Rating: 4 / 5

The Alchemist is a great follow up to the excellent Firewood. There is more variation to the song writing, and some use of different instruments this time around. Witchcraft still retain that “we fell out of the 60s” sound that makes them unique.
Rating: 4 / 5