Nick Seitzer
nseitzer@sungazette.com
In the summer of 1984, the local hard rock band White Witch was formed after the guys in the group jammed together for just two sessions. Three years later, the band won a competition on MTV’s “Heavy Metal Mania,” hosted by Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, which offered them a national record deal.
Though the group would ultimately refuse the record deal offer, White Witch continued to make a name for itself over subsequent years by producing a handful of albums and playing over 500 live shows.
Now, 35 years after first coming together as a band, White Witch is out to show that their rock dreams are still alive and well. Last week, the band released a new self-titled album on most major streaming services (CdBaby, Spotify, iTunes, Pandora, etc.). Starting tomorrow, hard copies of the new White Witch album are up for sale locally at Robert M. Sides and Sonic Ascension Records.
“We are very excited to put out another album,” said Jeff Pittinger, lead vocalist for the group. “How many bands do you know that are still putting out new albums in their late-50s?”
Along with Pittinger, the other current members of White Witch include Doug Lehman (lead guitar), Carl Berry (drums) and Jimmy Lovcik (bass).
White Witch’s latest studio effort includes eight tracks, including the single “Change is Coming,” which the band is targeting for radio airplay. Another highly anticipated track on the album is “The Seed,” which was the first song Pittinger ever wrote, and was featured on the band’s debut album, “Hell is Doomed,” back in 1988. For the new album, White Witch re-recorded “The Seed” with a new feel that “rocks big time,” according to Pittinger.
Other songs on the record include “Serenata,” “Psycho Sister,” “Running with Scissors,” “Slaughter in Salem,” “Log Splitter” and “The Gate.”
The recording for White Witch’s new album was done at Eight Days a Week studio in Northumberland — the same place the band recorded its debut album in 1987, when the studio was under the name Susquehanna Sound.
“Whether it was coincidence or fate, we returned 30 years later to record again,” Pittinger said. “The process was pretty easy because we are very organized, and it really helps when your working with some very smart people.”
Pittinger said that every track on the album tells a different story. Because of that, each tune was written in a different way.
“They just come to us, and we put them together,” he said, also mentioning that the band draws influence from acts like Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, the Scorpions and Judas Priest.
Overall, the group hopes that its new material will resonate with fans and leave them feeling uplifted.
“We hope it inspires more people to keep chasing ‘the dream’ — no matter what it is,” Pittinger said.
For more information on White Witch, the band can be found on Facebook.