Review: Bewitched – Diabolical Death Mass

Review by K

Bewitched – Diabolical Death Mass

Record Label: Osmose Productions

Year: 2026

Rating: 7/10

I was suspicious at first that I’d been asked to review a new album by Bewitched, the rather fetching Irish female Pop duo from the 90s, famously brought to the world’s attention by Andy McCluskey from OMD. However, it is not to be. The Bewitched we shall be concerning ourselves with is a Black/Thrash/Heavy Metal affair hailing from, would you believe, Sweden. Formed in 1995 and with around five full-length releases under their belts, Bewitched are not a particularly prolific act, which leads us to suspect they rely on quality rather than quantity. As they are yet another band that has completely passed me by, I suppose I’ll be finding out over the next 33 minutes if this is the case….

“Diabolical Death Mass,” which is incidentally the album’s title track, kicks off the proceedings and (with a 39-second warning) plunges us immediately into what feels like a 1987 Brazilian Thrash Festival, but with decent production. Vargher (vocals, guitars and general capo of the band) shouts and screams over his guitar whilst Wrathyr ably accompanies him with some serious bass work. Respectively hailing from such luminaries as Throne of Ahaz and Setherial, both musicians give off an air of confidence and experience. Hellfire and Zoid (guitars and drums) complete the lineup and complement the others almost perfectly. Production is thick but not overdone and within a few minutes, the title track snaps to a halt and gives way to “Into the Fire.”

Bewitched

This review is being brought to you during a Spotify outage and so I’m afraid there are rather large gaps between tracks whilst I write up each one, listening to the album on YouTube. The problem I have is that it’s difficult to remember the previous track, however I do suspect that Into the Fire isn’t actually that different from Diabolical Death Mass. The mid-paced Thrash is all present and correct, as are the growly, nasty vocals. But something rather radical needs to happen to grab the attention…….

Interval

So, due to various technical hitches, I have abandoned the usual track-by-track analysis and just blasted the album out as a whole, which I suspect is what Bewitched would want anyway. It’s pretty clear now what the mission is. Diabolical Death Mass is a full-blooded and utterly genuine ode to the early Black-Thrashers of the 80s. Imagine the twisted love child of Mercyful Fate and Bathory meeting up with the snotty son of Exodus and going out to party with Slayer. Horns up, copious amounts of strong lager in crappy pubs, blue jeans ripped to shreds over knackered leather trousers and battle vests festooned with patches over Suicidal Tendencies or Kreator T- shirts. Massive white trainers. Black studded fingerless gloves.

It’s difficult to overstate the amount of Old-Skool Traditional Metal Thrashery on display here. Most of the tracks sound much the same as each other, and the subject matter doesn’t alter much throughout either. I suspect the members of this band were born with mercury in their veins and have worshipped “Sataaaaan!” since they learned to talk. And I’ll tell you what, Bewitched are extremely proficient at their craft. There’s not a note out of place here and throughout its short-lived existence, this album is relentless in its intensity.

Diabolical Death Mass is the kind of album that hails from a scene everybody, myself included, abandoned in the early 90s when it all kicked off in Norway. However, Black ‘n Roll Metal has since returned with a kind of ineffable cool vibe, so much so that bands like Satyricon and Darkthrone have returned to it full-time. There’s not much thinking required, no endless dives into existential theory or moody brow furrowing walks in haunted woods. This is straight-up in your face Blackened Thrash with a side helping of more straight-up in your face Blackened Thrash. And if any more Old-Skool trad Black Thrash bands are listening, we could do with some more.

BEWITCHED “Diabolical Death Mass” (full album)

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