Pressing play on FEVEREATEN feels like Witch Fever grabbing you by the collar and daring you to keep up. The Manchester four-piece have never been known for subtlety, but their second album raises the stakes— it’s louder, darker, and far more ambitious. If 2022’s Congregation was the sound of things kicking off, FEVEREATEN is the sound of the band blowing the doors clean off. This is a group expanding their sound to fill the larger venues their live ferocity now commands.
Opener “DEAD TO ME!” sets the tone – a furious, tightly wound slab of punk grit that immediately proves they’re not here to play it safe. It’s angry, urgent, and weirdly catchy, full of crackling distortion and Walpole’s voice swinging between menace and catharsis. The mix is massive, thanks to producer Chris W. Ryan (NewDad, Just Mustard, Enola Gay), who captures the band’s raw power while expanding its scope. Every drum hit lands like a warning shot, and every bassline rumbles like a tectonic shift.
Lead single “THE GARDEN” follows, twisting biblical imagery into something unholy and defiant. It’s heavy and hypnotic, with Walpole subverting the Garden of Eden myth with a sneer. The guitars feel alive, snarling and scraping across the track Meanwhile, the chorus punches like a tidal wave. Where the first record often felt claustrophobic, this one breathes, giving room for tension, noise, and pure release.
“DRANK THE SAP” delivers the filthiest riff you’ll hear all year—a sludge-soaked monster that stomps along before collapsing into a wall of feedback. “BURN TO HIT” starts off grungey, almost Alice in Chains-like, before plunging into full doom-metal fury. It’s the kind of cathartic noise that makes you grin even as it rattles your bones. Guitarist Alisha Yarwood deserves special mention here – her playing veers from razor-sharp precision to chaotic abandon and back again, often within a single verse.
Still rooted in punk and grunge, FEVEREATEN isn’t afraid to push its own boundaries. Tracks like “MIRROR SON” and “INTO THE PIT” introduce eerie atmospherics and slow-burning menace. The album slips into ambient moments, strange noises, and a few passages that border on beautiful before being ripped apart again. It’s an unpredictable record, one that feels alive, glitching, and burning at its edges.
Lyrically, Walpole continues to confront her past in the Charismatic Church with sharper clarity and a newfound confidence. There’s still rage here, but also perspective—a kind of acceptance that doesn’t soften the blows, it just makes them land harder. Writing from a place of self-understanding, Walpole turns past confusion into focus, transforming introspection into defiance. These aren’t just songs about survival; they’re acts of reclamation.
By the time closer “THE HUNGER” fades out, it feels like the walls are shaking. The record is relentless yet purposeful. Each track serves as another release valve for the frustration and fatigue of modern life.
A ghost peers from FEVEREATEN’s cover—fitting, really, for an album haunted by trauma, rage, and noise. It’s a perfectly timed Halloween release that cements Witch Fever as one of the UK’s most electrifying heavy bands. This is a record that doesn’t just reflect the world’s fury; it explodes with it. Pure scream therapy, pressed to vinyl.
CONE Score: 79/100