Label: Filosofem Records
Date: November 4th, 2025
I cannot but call it a brilliant stroke of Fatum, when right in the middle of reading J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Children of Húrin“ this CD fell in my lap. Both musically and lyrically, the fourth full length by this Hungarian duo fits to the fate of Tolkien’s tragic hero Túrin Turambar. The grandeur of Witcher’s creation matches the epic feel of Middle-Earth’s legendarium, while the words accompanying it could as well follow Túrin’s misfortune.
Now, before you consider Witcher to be another enthusiastic attempt at underscoring the famed writings… All this just happened to be my first impression of the album. A chance encounter really. On the other hand, the duo does offer a style of symphonic black metal centred around melancholic atmosphere. Enchanting, monumental keyboard work, often in harmony with guitars and less so, yet still often with vocals. Lengthy tracks with repetitive instrumental patterns, bordering on depressive black metal, are the flesh and blood of “Öröklét”. Just as they were at previous outputs by Witcher.
With that in mind, the album shouldn’t be anything special. A number of other factors could also come into play here. For example, I still don’t quite like the final mix. The guitars are put into the background way too much and therefore frequently lag behind the keyboards. I would also prefer the voice to be more prominent, even if the performance is exemplary and in tune with the theme of the song at hand.
And yet, there is something that pulls you into the Witcher’s soundscape. For instance, many readers will likely think along the lines of not being interested in repetitive music. However, it is no reason to shy away from this Hungarian act. Witcher is quite skilful in handling repetitiveness and breaking the pieces into shorter segments which tend to flow like a mountain creek, swerving and restless. Adding vocals, switching between drum beats or tempos or even short symphonic breaks. All of them are responsible for fluently guiding the listener to the grand finale of “Öröklét”.
Grand finale being the title track, fourth out of five on this forty minute record, where all the classical music knowledge comes into bright light. Speaking of classical music influence, the final track is a symphonic black metal version of Franz Schubert’s “Piano Trio No. 2 – Andante con moto”. Witcher keeps the tradition going with a classical music piece as an “outro” on each of their records. There you might find the exact source of inspiration for their (and not just their) music.
Coming back to the title track, its name as well as the entire record’s translating to “Eternity”, it features a female chanting voice which elevates the song’s effect towards the listener. It’s not really exclusive to this song, or this album for that matter, but it comes to full fruition here, in creating a much more lucid feeling for the listener.
Also, on the subject of “Öröklét”, the song, its lyrics are somewhat distinctive from the rest of the record, though, again, it’s not the first time this has found a way into Witcher’s creation. The verses carry a very defiant tone, in contrast with a fairly pessimistic worldview of its predecessors. The introspection, the struggle for the bleak existence of “I”, remains the focus of Witcher’s verbal craft, though these moments of tenacity add to the spectrum of emotions.
Another aspect of Witcher that persists throughout their discography is the visual presentation. For the third time in a row, the cover has been handled by Grafit & Hamu Artworks and it is majestic, third time in a row. Though this time it is far harder to tie the imagery to the topics covered on the album, there is no doubt that this necrotic witchery on the cover, as well as elsewhere in the booklet, is a worthwhile work of art. By the way, when you order the CD, you will get two stickers as a bonus, containing two pieces of art from “Öröklét”. Perhaps at some point, if this album sees its vinyl version, the fans will get a poster of them, too. Definitely worth having on one’s wall.
In any case, Witcher did not disappoint with yet another album. Taking into consideration also Mr. Neubauer’s other works, it’s becoming ever more impressive track record. Dare I say Witcher has stepped into the major league Hungarian black metal ranks? Along Sear Bliss, for best example? At this point, I don’t see a way for them to be denied. Creative effort on display and the longevity of upholding the high level of resulting music should grant them at least the status of domestic greats. Myself, I maintain the opinion stated when writing of their previous album. Witcher deserves much more than it seems to be getting.
