Cloak And Dagger
cdlem88As 1983 rolled around, Witchfynde fans were scratching their heads in bewilderment. Despite two extremely well-received albums in 1980's 'Give 'Em Hell' and its 1981 follow-up 'Stagefright' the band hadn't so much disappeared off the radar as simply disappeared full-stop. With their label Rondelet going to the wall, Witchfynde had been left in limbo, trying to stay alive with absolutely no financial support. However, as the year progressed, rumours began to circulate about the possibility of a new album, finally confirmed with the release of 'Cloak And Dagger' and its accompanying single 'I'd Rather Go Wild'. The first album for new label Expulsion Records, and the first to feature vocalist Luther Beltz - or was it? - alongside guitarist Montalo, bassist Pete Surgey and drummer Gra Scoresby, 'Cloak And Dagger' was well received by fans and press alike, with 'Kerrang!' noting "they're back with a hungry, saliva-dripping, determination." and singling out for praise the album's title track: "superbly constructed out of simple, repetitive rhythms, it builds into a sustained neck-twisting claustrophobic brutality." A rock-solid and exciting album, 'Cloak And Dagger' could have been - should have been - the album to catapult the band back to the forefront of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, but Expulsion's finances were as shaky as Rondelet's, and by early 1984 Witchfynde were walking away from their second bankrupt label. It should have been all so different.
 The Devil's Playground / Crystal Gazing / I'd Rather Go Wild / Somewhere To Hide / Cloak And Dagger / Cry Wolf / Start Counting / Living For Memories / Rock & Roll / Stay Away / Fra Diablo
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