Manchester’s Witch Fever return this Halloween with Fevereaten, their second full-length release and a striking evolution in both sound and ambition. Out on 31st October via Music For Nations and Sony, the record follows 2022’s Congregation, a furious debut that set the band apart with its blend of punk ferocity and visceral honesty. Releasing its successor on Halloween feels deliberate: Fevereaten thrives on the tension between beauty and brutality, life and decay. “The album is about being on the edge but never quite falling off,” says vocalist Amy Walpole, encapsulating the record’s core duality. Across twelve tracks, Witch Fever sound more self-assured than ever, balancing intensity with reflection. The timing couldn’t be better—the band are currently touring European arenas with Volbeat, momentum clearly on their side.
While Congregation was born from raw punk energy, Fevereaten is a more deliberate creation. This time, the quartet—Amy Walpole on vocals) Alex Thompson on bass, Alisha Yarwood on guitar, and Annabelle Joyce on drums—were able to slow down and refine their craft. In producer Chris W. Ryan (known for work with Enola Gay and NewDad), they found a collaborator who could amplify their scope without sanding off their edges. “Chris is so talented and their enthusiasm for music and production is infectious,” the band say. “We hope it haunts you as it’s haunted us—in a good way, of course.” The result is a darker, more expansive record, one that leans into gothic and metallic textures while retaining the punk spirit at Witch Fever’s core. Lyrically, Fevereaten explores trauma, faith, and selfhood with a maturity that reflects Walpole’s personal journey, including her autism diagnosis during the writing process. “It’s about finding horror in the subtleties of religious trauma, mental health, and relationships,” the band explain. “It’s dark and unforgiving, but also heartfelt and joyful.”
Opening track DEAD TO ME! sets the tone immediately—a thunderous, Deftones-esque assault of feedback, tension, and fury. Walpole spits lines like “Christ, your only child, but so was I” with unflinching conviction, her voice both defiant and wounded. “All the elders in the church that let me down are dead to me,” she adds, summing up the song’s venomous intent.
FINAL GIRL follows with menace and momentum. Built around a start-stop rhythm and driven by a pounding rhythm section, it’s a fierce nod to horror’s resilient survivors. Despite its brevity, it’s one of the album’s most immediate moments—a perfect distillation of the band’s raw energy and melodic precision.
Then comes THE GARDEN, which the band describe as “a love letter to Eve, the original sinner.” It begins with restraint—a sparse guitar riff, a measured vocal—before bursting into a colossal chorus. “Eve brought the apple to my home,” Walpole sings, her delivery poised between temptation and rebellion. The song’s gothic grandeur is matched by a striking visual aesthetic, showcased vividly in its accompanying music video.
NORTHSTAR continues the record’s descent into grandeur and grit. Its brooding verses give way to shrieking feedback and a chorus that hits with industrial precision. The aggression feels focused, refined—evidence of the band’s growing control over their chaos. “I drank the sap, and drowned in its sweetness,” Walpole croons, a line that perfectly captures the record’s seductive danger.
Witch Fever’s more melodic instincts come to the fore on SAFE, a bittersweet ballad the band describe as “a relationship turned friendship.” The clean guitars and restrained vocals allow Walpole’s voice to breathe, revealing emotional weight beneath the distortion. The song’s soaring chorus and mournful piano / electric cello outro make it one of Fevereaten’s most affecting moments—proof that vulnerability can be as powerful as rage.
The title track, FEVEREATEN, plunges back into darkness. Religious imagery and physical decay intertwine; “God put my weight under his thumb,” Walpole howls, followed by the grisly “Push the marrow through your rotten bones.” The track’s slow, doom-laden outro feels like the sound of spiritual collapse, closing with the repeated mantra: “No happy ending.”
The record’s latter half leans heavier still. BURN TO HIT grinds on a fuzzed-out bass riff that drones beneath detuned guitars, while SEE YA NEXT TUESDAY detonates with punk-metal ferocity. REPRISE is a storm of feedback and texture — nightmarish vocals, bent notes, and layers that demand close listening. Through headphones, it reveals its depth: the sound of a band fully realising their vision.
Fevereaten is both a consolidation and an expansion of everything Witch Fever do best. It’s loud, raw, and unflinchingly honest, a record that wields heaviness as both weapon and therapy. “We wanted to sound bigger,” says Thompson. “To push our sound in ways we couldn’t in a room together.” They’ve done exactly that. Fevereaten fulfils the promise hinted at on Reincarnate and Congregation, solidifying Witch Fever as one of Britain’s most vital heavy bands. Confident, dynamic, and emotionally fearless, Fevereaten isn’t just an album to be heard—it’s one to be survived.
For fans of: Saint Agnes, Die Spitz, VENUS GRRRLS
‘Fevereaten’ by Witch Fever is released on 31st October on Music For Nations / Sony Music.
Words by Ross Peacey