{"id":837236,"date":"2026-06-01T17:14:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T17:14:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/837236\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T17:14:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T17:14:17","slug":"leatherwitch-first-spell-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/837236\/","title":{"rendered":"Leatherwitch – First Spell Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"When Crystal Viper<\/strong><\/a> disbanded last August, the Polish power metallers left behind a consistent catalogue of (mostly) good-to-great albums. Shuttering the project left me with pangs of sorrow for what might have been and closed the chapter on a band I\u2019ve followed since Queen of the Witches<\/a>. In his review of that album, Grier <\/strong>loosed one of his most lucid and succinct observations to date: \u2018Marta Gabriel kicks ass.\u2019 That was true throughout Crystal Viper<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s discography, and I\u2019m happy to report it remains true on First Spell\u2014Gabriel\u2019s solo debut under the Leatherwitch<\/strong> banner. Yet it takes more than kicking ass to deliver great tunes. Shed of her former band, we must judge whether this Leatherwitch<\/strong> ensorcels with her First Spell, or if the incantation leaves us thinking, \u2018Witch<\/strong>, please.\u2019<\/p>\n

Fans of Crystal Viper<\/strong> will find the transition to Leatherwitch<\/strong> as smooth as changing lanes on the open freeway, and just as inviting. First Spell boasts a slew of tracks that ache to be played at volumes unsafe for car stereos and eardrums, and that\u2019s repeatedly how I engaged with it. Compared to Gabriel\u2019s former band, Leatherwitch<\/strong> conjures a more stripped-down heavy metal mostly divested of power trappings. Just don\u2019t mistake streamlined for simplistic\u2014First Spell enchants with hook-studded earworms and invokes the likes of Running Wild<\/strong><\/a>, Iron Maiden<\/strong><\/a> and Warlock<\/strong>. In total, Leatherwitch<\/strong>\u2019s debut punches with the force of a semi at cruising speed, and throughout First Spell Gabriel casts beguiling heavy metal moxie.<\/p>\n

\ufeffFirst Spell by LEATHERWITCH<\/a><\/p>\n

Crystal Viper<\/strong> ended on a tremendous burst of heavy power, and given how many responsibilities Marta Gabriel shouldered on their swan song, Leatherwitch<\/strong> feels like a natural progression. First and foremost, Gabriel is the consummate frontwoman, flaunting charismatic vocals that spellbind with might and conviction. Songs \u201cHeroes and the Dice,\u201d \u201cLiving in the Fast Lane,\u201d and \u201cThe New Beginning\u201d showcase her vocal range and grit, establishing her magnetic presence. Unsatisfied to limit her performance to vocals, Gabriel lays down memorable leads (\u201cLiving in the Fast Lane\u201d), classic heavy metal riffcraft (\u201cTwo Tons of Steel\u201d) and brawny low-end heft (\u201cSilver Stallions,\u201d where the bass tone immediately evokes Seventh Son) across First Spell\u2019s runtime. The only aspect where Leatherwitch<\/strong> falls short is the drumming. It\u2019s perfectly serviceable, but compared to other performances, the kit-work remains conspicuously tucked in the shadows.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Evaluated as a whole, Leatherwitch <\/strong>delivers a catchy album that never errs, yet takes few risks. The strengths of First Spell stem from Gabriel\u2019s vocals and winsome songwriting, a consistent thread carried over from Crystal Viper<\/strong>. While I\u2019m unsure why she made the decision to pursue a solo venture, Marta proves that she more than meets the challenge with Leatherwitch<\/strong>. Across forty-three minutes of unpretentious heavy metal, songs entice me to repeat them immediately (particularly \u201cHeroes and the Dice\u201d and \u201cLiving in the Fast Lane\u201d), their melodies firmly lodged in my gray matter. The production aids Leatherwitch<\/strong>\u2019s uncomplicated approach, granting plenty of room for the instrumentation and vocals to stake their claim in the mix without stepping on toes. The only interruption to First Spell\u2019s summoning comes from \u201cThe New Beginning,\u201d which offers a reprieve from the album\u2019s otherwise aggressive pacing. While slower songs can mitigate otherwise homogenous tempos, just because a song is slow doesn\u2019t mean it has to be long. At over seven-and-a-half minutes, \u201cThe New Beginning\u201d could be trimmed and be more effective for it. Otherwise, Leatherwitch<\/strong> crafts chest-thumping, fist-pumping anthems for metalheads of any stripe.<\/p>\n

First Spell doesn\u2019t change the course of metal, but with it Leatherwitch<\/strong> bestows a worthy entry into the annals of classic heavy metal thunder. First Spell supplies a welcome respite from life\u2019s burdens\u2014music you can get lost in, especially with the windows down and an open stretch of road ahead. Though I was initially disheartened by Crystal Viper<\/strong>\u2019s demise, Leatherwitch<\/strong> renews my hope and convinces me that Gabriel\u2019s vision hasn\u2019t dulled for the change. Whatever hex comes next for Leatherwitch<\/strong>, I\u2019ll be ready for Marta\u2019s magic.<\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>: Very Good
DR<\/strong>: 11 | Format Reviewed<\/strong>: 320 kbps mp3
Label<\/strong>: Listenable Records<\/a>
Websites<\/strong>: Bandcamp<\/a> | Facebook<\/a>
Releases Worldwide<\/strong>: May 29th, 2026<\/p>\n

\n\tGive in to Your Anger:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Crystal Viper disbanded last August, the Polish power metallers left behind a consistent catalogue of (mostly) good-to-great…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":837237,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[29],"tags":[12086,63696,343154,171,343155,18527,21929,343156,343157,319207,975,23664,343158,2290,11853,343159,67,132,68,316131],"class_list":["post-837236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-12086","tag-3-5","tag-crystal-viper","tag-entertainment","tag-first-spell","tag-heavy-metal","tag-iron-maiden","tag-leatherwitch","tag-listenable-records","tag-may26","tag-music","tag-polish-metal","tag-queen-of-the-witches","tag-review","tag-reviews","tag-running-wild","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-warlock"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116675981229959862","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/837236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=837236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/837236\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/837237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=837236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=837236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=837236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}