SACRIFICE

Hilarious! BLACK WIDOW's 1970 album is certainly a different album - while many bands in the early 70s liked to play the Fantasy Card (writing about wizards, demons and whatnot), BLACK WIDOW opted for a darker approach - SATANIC PROG! It's arguable whether or not the band really believed this stuff (their live act included a mock Satanic ritual with the sacrifice of a naked woman) but since this style only lasted for the one album it was obvious the band found their Occult schtick wasn't paying financial dividends and decided a new approach was necessary.

Stylistically, the music makes great use of Hammond organ and flute backed with what some reviewers have referred to as 'tribal' drum beats, and I can understand where they're coming from. In particular, I like Kip Trevor's vocals: he sings with passion and energy, and especially in songs such as "Come To the Sabbat" he sings with some serious urgency. Along with 'Sabbat', other highlights for me include "Sacrifice" and "Way To Power", the latter one of the few prog songs about true Black Magic. Certainly something different, and highly recommended - one of the few times when Satanism and acoustic work well together...just don't take the lyrics too seriously (I get the impression the band didn't too much).