Witchfinder General (band)

Witchfinder General were an English heavy metal band from Stourbridge. They were part of the new wave of British heavy metal scene and have been cited as a major influence on the doom metal genre.[1][2] They were named after the 1968 British horror film Witchfinder General.[3]

Witchfinder General
OriginStourbridge, England
GenresHeavy metal, doom metal
Years active1979–1984
2006–2008
LabelsHeavy Metal Records
Websitewitchfindergeneral.net
Past membersPhil Cope
Johnny Fisher
Steve Kinsell
Zeeb Parkes
Kevin McCready
Graham Ditchfield
Rod Hawkes
Dermot Redmond
Gary Martin

Biography

Witchfinder General formed in 1979 by Zeeb Parkes and Phil Cope in Stourbridge, England, as part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement during the early 1980s.[3] They were strongly influenced by Black Sabbath, and have been described as one of the pioneers of the doom metal style. The band's importance became acknowledged mostly after they disbanded. Witchfinder General disbanded sometime in 1984 amidst reported controversy of their sexually explicit album covers in the UK.

The band (minus vocalist and writer Zeeb Parkes) reformed in November 2006, with new vocalist Gary Martin. In 2007, the band released Buried Amongst the Ruins, a compilation CD featuring the "Burning a Sinner" single, the Soviet Invasion EP, and four live tracks including a live version of the unreleased track "Phantasmagorical". Whilst stating they would not perform live again, the band released their third full-length album, entitled Resurrected, in 2008.

Members
  • Phil Cope – guitar (1979–1984, 2006–2008), bass (1982)
  • Johnny Fisher – bass (1979–1980)
  • Ben Crossley – guitar, bass (1980–1984)
  • Steve Kinsell – drums (1979–1982)
  • Zeeb Parkes – vocals (1979–1984)
  • Kevin McCready – bass (1981–1982; died 2008)
  • Graham Ditchfield – drums (1982–1983)
  • Dermot Redmond – drums (1983–1984, 2006–2008)
  • Gary Martin – vocals (2006–2008)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums
  • Live '83 (2006)

Singles and EPs

Other releases
  • Buried Amongst the Ruins (2007)
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See also

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. Jennings, Christopher (9 April 2013). "10 Greatest Doom Metal Albums Of All Time". WhatCulture.com.
  3. Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who’s Who of Heavy Metal (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 390. ISBN 0-85112-656-1.
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