From the frostbitten depths of Finland’s underground emerges Witchcraft, a band that channels the raw mysticism and sinister atmosphere that the Nordic Black Metal tradition is known for. Rooted in darkness and driven by an uncompromising spirit, Witchcraft conjures a sound steeped in cold riffs, occult imagery, and the ancient shadows of the North.
Rather than chasing trends or modern polish, the band embraces a more primal approach, one that recalls the earliest echoes of the genre while forging its own path through the blackened wilderness. With their latest material stirring whispers throughout the underground, we spoke with Witchcraft to delve into their inspirations, the philosophy behind their music, and the dark forces that continue to shape their sonic rituals.
The name Witchcraft is simple yet heavily charged. Was this a conscious choice to remain archaic and timeless, or was it meant as a confrontation?
Originally the name was short period of time Blasphemous Witchcraft but regretfully we shortered it to Witchcraft while being too quick tempered. It is suitable name for hexcrafting metal of death enshadowed with black arts and mysticism.
Is Witchcraft a continuation of a personal necessity, or a channel for something that exists beyond yourselves?
Part of the foundation is a continuum of a inner black ablaze and a glorification of the rebellious godhood. We all draw from adversary and antichristianity. Black death underground devotion, ave glorification of darkness!
Your music carries a strong connection to early Finnish and Norwegian black metal. Is this an act of homage, a continuation, or a refusal to let the style evolve?
I have never heard us compared to any norwegian bands. I do like Darkthrone (Soulside Journey) and Thou Shalt Suffer whom i consider as influences aswell. Everyone can make their own minds but we only play what feels right for us. We come from Finland so theres already natural continuation for the finnish forged sound, we practise it bestial and eerie.
How important is the preservation of primitive structures and raw production to your music?At what point does refinement become betrayal?
Harsh and crude productions is big part of the core of Witchcraft but its also due the lack of proper recording equipments and spaces. We like the sound of true rawness and evil and the atmosphere it captures. We use a lot of tape recordings, root of this remains in our unconditional years in tapetrading. For the more brutal results we are gonna work in homestudio environments in future.
For the later part of the question i think when you don’t honestly follow your call or vision, including all scene- and band wagon jumpers or other pathetic posers who try to ride on wing of the underground without having any touch or devotion with it. Nauseating normal and completely mass produced “save” sound makes me throw up. There are no overstepping in productions much today.
To what extent is occultism within Witchcraft symbolic, and to what extent is it practice? Where do you draw the line between aesthetics and belief?
If i would be ritual practising occultist and study clandestine or hidden knowledges i would focus on that and use much less time for playing in any band. So it’s more like a grave interest which i don’t qualified to the state of practice. I think its up to each person personally to draw any separation. Music can be very strong “form of art” to channel and express but each listener interpret in own way.
What role does Finland, it’s landscape, history, and spiritual coldness, play in your music?
I live in a small town where there are a lot of inspiring and cathartic nature, graveyards and other sites where i like to feel secluding myself from everything. Bright moonlit nights, solar winds, northern lights..all of it smolders in my subconsciousness.
Is there something within the Finnish soul that, in your view, can only be expressed through extreme music?
Probably not.
Witchcraft is often mentioned in the same breath as Beherit. How do you experience that comparison: as recognition, a burden, or something entirely beyond your control?
Beherit and related have been some of the biggest influences of course. It comes across like a combatboot to the face. People say whatever they want, i don’t care at all. We have many obscure underground influences.
The split with BlackStream feels less like a collaboration and more like a confrontation. Was this a conscious dialogue between two visions, or simply a shared necessity?
From our side this was planned by Goatprayer of Black Baptism who was in contacts with them.”Die Nazarene” rehearsal was at the time the only recording we had ready so it was used as our side. It’s nothing new and the press is quite small anyway. Recommended to play in minus 20 degrees celcius surrounding yourself with hunderds of candles of graveyard, ahhh…. and infernal salutes to the Blackstream duo for this necro alliance with us.
When is a riff “finished”? Is that a musical moment, or an inner decision?
Barely ever, we don’t always play the riffs exactly the same way. It’s playable when judas goat commands in a ring of ieles.
What does this band demand from you on a personal level, and what does it never give back?
A vision and creativity together with madness and ability to proceed intoxicated and through the consuming northern melancholy. Never gives back the sanity or complete satisfaction.
Finland is often romanticized within black metal. What is the unspoken, unattractive aspect of this place that still seeps into your music?
I let the nature’s influence run through my veins, the landscapes, the woods, the magic of the northern night skies. My inspiration flows the best during the nocturnal walks. To me bands like Beherit, Barathrum, Sentenced, Impaled Nazarene etc. could have never come from elsewhere, atleast sounding the way they do. The long winters and darkness within have major touch in old finnish sound aswell with the big suicide rates and prevailing melancholy lurking in the background. Winters are too fucking long here, spring and summer rules. Under the sign of the silver sun 666…
Are there musical or ideological boundaries Witchcraft will never cross, even out of curiosity?
If there are something new thematic- or sound experiencewise it will come naturally. Well, we will never push or sing about politics haha, fuck all that, too human. Also every release will always be physical for fucks sake, how ridiculous to even write this down!?
What do people fundamentally misunderstand about Witchcraft, even those who believe they understand it?
That we changed our name from Black Feast to Witchcraft. It was completely different band and era. Punch that to your rotting cranium. Another thing is that we have very hard to get or limited demo or rehearsal tapes or whatsoever, very absurd assumption. We still sell older releases as diy copies to whom interested. Thanks for the interview Peter, abyssic hails to forever obscured name of Inverted Pentagram! So it is done.