SACRIFICE

Black Widow's Sacrifice offers a potent and sinister concept, but it took a while for it to grow on me. If you're going for an unambiguously horror-oriented story with lots and lots of spooky atmosphere, it's not going to quite work for you - there's this sort of air of witchy sensuality and magical romance running through it which leads to a more complex and nuanced emotional palette than you might expect from the concept, though admittedly the material doesn't always get this across very effectively. Return to the Sabbat, which collects the demo version of the album, manages to deliver a spookier experience simply by keeping it sinister and lo-fi; the live rendition of the album offered on Demons of the Night Gather To See Black Widow Live expands on the concept by capturing some of the ritualistic aspects of the band's presentation of the concept. Still, I quite appreciate their commitment to the bit here, even if the vision presented here is more bluesy and soulful than their hardcore Hammer Horror concept may lead you to expect.