FEVEREATEN

Description

Witch Fever is back in full force. The genre-defying Manchester quartet has announced their second full-length album, FEVEREATEN, set for release via Music For Nations - Sony Music. Since forming in 2017, Witch Fever - Amy Walpole (vocals/lyrics), Alex Thompson (bass), Alisha Yarwood (guitar) and Annabelle Joyce (drums) - have risen to the forefront of a thriving UK alternative scene without truly fitting into any of its niches. Fusing the ferocity of punk with gothic unease, doom-laden atmospheres and raw vulnerability, the band's debut album, Congregation, released in 2022, was acclaimed by critics for its cathartic power and lightning intensity. Now, with FEVEREATEN, they push their sound even further into uncharted territories. Produced by Chris W. Ryan (NewDad, Just Mustard, Enola Gay), FEVEREATEN is the result of a deliberate and expansive creative process. Heavier, darker and stranger than its predecessor, the album draws from metal, ambient, hardcore and slowcore, layering cello, noise textures and haunting melodies over an ever-crushing foundation. "We wanted to sound louder," says Thompson. "We wanted to push our sound in a way we couldn't do in a room together." Lyrically, FEVEREATEN continues to draw from Walpole's past in the charismatic church, but now from a perspective of clarity and reclamation. The album's title evokes the gothic intensity and emotional extremes at the heart of the album - the feeling of being consumed by trauma, history or identity. "It's about being on the edge of the abyss without ever falling," explains Walpole, whose autism was diagnosed during the writing process - a moment that challenged much of her life and creative output.