Witchcraft (band)

Witchcraft
Live at Hole In The Sky, Bergen Metal Fest - 2006
Background information
Origin	Örebro, Sweden
Genres	Stoner rock, hard rock, doom metal, psychedelic rock, heavy metal
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Nuclear Blast
Associated acts	Norrsken, Abramis Brama, Count Raven, Graveyard, Spiders, Troubled Horse
Website	Nuclear Blast Page
Members	Magnus Pelander Rage Widerberg Tobias Anger
Past members	Ola Henriksson Simon Solomon Tom Jondelius Oscar Johansson Jonas Arnesén Jens Henriksson Fredrik Jansson John Hoyles Mats Arnesén

Witchcraft is a Swedish hard rock/heavy metal band founded in 2000.

Magnus Pelander (formerly of Norrsken) formed Witchcraft in 2000 in order to record a tribute to Pentagram's Bobby Liebling and Roky Erickson. The "No Angel or Demon" single was released in 2002 by Primitive Art Records, which caught the ear of Lee Dorrian's label Rise Above Records, who quickly signed them. A year later, the band were brought back together with Jonas Arnesén taking the place of original drummer Jens Henriksson, and his brother Mats taking Ola's place on the bass.

Their debut album, Witchcraft (2004), was worked on in a basement studio with vintage equipment, which gave them their very seventies-esque sound. Mats left the band almost immediately after the recording was done. Mats was also the drummer in the surf trio "The Hollywoods" and 50's rockin "Eva Eastwood and the Major Keys". In mid-2004, the band toured Europe with Orange Goblin and Grand Magus.

The band recorded their second album, Firewood, in England, which was released on Rise Above in 2005. That same year the band toured the UK in support of Corrosion of Conformity, backed by the "Chylde of Fire" single.

In mid-2006, Jonas Arnesén left the band and was replaced by original drummer, Jens Henriksson. The band toured the US in latter part of 2006 with Danava. During this tour, on November 11, 2006, Witchcraft performed at the Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, DC. For their encore they played Pentagram covers ("When the Screams Come" and "Yes I Do") with Bobby Liebling on vocals.