If you like your music with a touch of the macabre, or perhaps some good old fashioned references to the dark-horned Lord, then this may be right up your dark alley. Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Leicester's finest, Black Widow. If you aren't completely au fait with these hellraisers then here's a quick recap: formed back in 1969 from the ashes of Pesky Gee! the band have gone through numerous line-up changes over the years. Lead vocalist Kay Garrett left the band prior to the release of debut album Sacrifice in 1970 which was sadly overlooked musically in comparison to its occult-ridden iconography and lyrical references to the Black Arts. Despite some well-received festival performances (including Munich in '71 where the band shared a bill with Black Sabbath) and three more albums along the way, it would be 2007 before the world really started to sit up and notice Black Widow again. The dwindling interest in the band was brought back to life with the decision to release the live footage of the Sacrifice album on DVD. Inspired by this apparent revival, founding member Clive Jones (Saxophone / flute) and Geoff Griffifths (vocals) headed back to the studio to recreate the magic.

Which brings us back to the matter at hand, the eagerly awaited Sleeping With Demons. Scheduled to drop on October 31st (just in time for Hallowe'en) it's a definite return to form for the Midlands natives. The lead single (with ex-Sabbath frontman Tony Martin on vocal duties) 'Hail Satan!' is a tongue-in-cheek ode to Lucifer in all his dark glory. The lyrical content isn't exactly poetry in motion ("Hail Satan/ hail Satan/ drink my blood!") but you get the feeling that this is not the mission objective! And with it's big anthemic chorus, it is ridiculously catchy. 'That's When Evil Touched Me' and 'Partytime for Demons' with their heavy synths and menacing vocals are the perfect accompaniment to a spooky knees-up. Chanteuse Kay Garrett takes the reins once more on 'Even The Devil Gets The Blues' for a stomping little harmonica-driven ditty which injects a dash of good ol' southern blues into this musical cauldron. The remainder of the album is a delectable mix of prog-rock riffs, flutes and unfortunately, some appallingly cheesy horror film narrative. Tracks like 'Run For Your Life' border on the ridiculous and threaten to overshadow the burgeoning brilliance of this album at times which is a real shame as the album itself doesn't need these gimmicks to engage the listener.

Recommended.

7 out of 10