When a band names an album IDAG (Swedish for "Today"), it's not a random statement. After the introspective retreat of 2020’s acoustic and melancholic "Black Metal", Magnus Pelander returns with an electrified manifesto that digs deep into the roots of occult proto-doom—without losing sight of the future.
Right from the opening title track, it's clear we're in for something heavy: eight minutes of dark, dragging madness, somewhere between Master of Reality and a Scandinavian winter forest. Pelander’s voice—clear and ghostly—floats above a gritty, warm bed of fuzz that sounds like it’s risen straight from a 4-track tape recorder circa 1971. And then—Swedish! For the first time, Pelander sings an entire half of an album in his native tongue, lending the songs an unfamiliar intimacy, as if one were eavesdropping on a secret ritual.
"Om Du Vill" and "Drömmen Om Död Och Förruttnelse" show that WITCHCRAFT can still be quiet, haunting, and almost folksy. But the crunchy doom sludge remains ever-present—viscous, heavy, and honest like hand-forged iron.
From the second side on, things get more international: the language shifts, but the spirit remains. With "Burning Cross", WITCHCRAFT pay homage to their Sabbath roots, and "Irreligious Flamboyant Flame" recalls memories of *The Alchemist*. And then there's "Spirit", a song that unites everything that makes this band so unique: emotion, gravity, and genius.
IDAG is not an easily digestible album. It drags, it stumbles, it dreams—and therein lies its charm. The clear split between the two language halves may feel jarring at first, but it also opens up new perspectives. This is not an album that tries to please—it challenges. No “hits,” no compromises—only uncompromising expression.
For longtime fans, it's a feast; for newcomers, perhaps a riddle. But for those who see music as a journey, IDAG is a ticket to the past—paid for in today’s currency.
Not a retro trend, but a true reconnection. Witchcraft merge past and present into a somber ritual full of magic and courage.
"If you feel doom like cold fog in autumn—then IDAG is your soundtrack."
-Helge Neumann
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