Witch Fever, the Manchester four-piece, have announced their second album, FEVEREATEN, due for release on 31 October via Music For Nations / Sony. Alongside the announcement, the band have shared lead single ‘The Garden’, a brooding, cinematic track that twists religious symbolism into a defiant anthem of liberation. Witch Fever, Amy Walpole (vocals/lyrics), Alex Thompson (bass), Alisha Yarwood (guitar), and Annabelle Joyce (drums), fuse punk ferocity with gothic unease, doom-laden atmospherics, and raw vulnerability.
Produced by Chris W. Ryan (NewDad, Just Mustard, Enola Gay), FEVEREATEN is the result of a deliberate and expansive creative process. Heavier, darker, and stranger than its predecessor, the record draws from metal, ambient, hardcore, and slowcore, layering cello, noise textures, and haunting melodies atop their ever-pummeling foundation. “We wanted to sound bigger,” says Thompson. “To push our sound in ways we couldn’t in a room together.”
New single ‘The Garden’ opens with a distorted alt-rock riff, the song ebbs and crashes like a tidal wave, with Walpole subverting the Garden of Eden myth into a rallying cry against patriarchal control. Speaking about the album and ‘The Garden’ the band share:
“FEVEREATEN is raw, vulnerable, haunting and furious. Where our debut album Congregation dealt with my experience growing up in a Charismatic Christian church head on, FEVEREATEN takes a step back, finding horror in the subtleties of dealing with religious trauma, as well as mental health struggles, relationships and nearing 30 in a world that’s eating itself alive. Whilst the album is dark and unforgiving in places it is also heartfelt and joyful in others. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and asks you to find excitement and life in difficult times.
It was an absolute delight to write and record together. In the studio we bounced off our producer Chris’ excitement and ended up with a piece of work that we’re so proud of and excited to share. Chris is so talented and their enthusiasm for music and production is infectious. We hope it haunts you as it has haunted us, in a good way of course.”
Lyrically, FEVEREATEN continues to draw from Walpole’s past in the Charismatic Church, but now from a perspective of clarity and reclamation. The album’s title speaks to the gothic intensity and emotional extremes at its core – the feeling of being consumed by trauma, history, or identity. “It’s about being on the edge but never quite falling off,” says Walpole, who was diagnosed with autism during the writing process – a moment that reframed much of her life and creative output. The result is a body of work that doesn’t just rage against the past, but tries to make peace with it.
Witch Fever Live Dates
July
11 – Cheltenham, 2000 Trees Festival (United Kingdom)
Live Dates as special guests of Volbeat
September
18 – Herning, Jyske Bank Boxen (Denmark)
19 – Copenhagen, Royal Arena (Denmark)
20 – Copenhagen, Royal Arena (Denmark)
23 – Amsterdam, Ziggo Dome (Netherlands)
24 – Antwerp, Sportpaleis (Belgium)
26 – Stuttgart, Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle (Germany)
27 – Cologne, Lanxess Arena (Germany)
28 – Oberhausen, Rudolf-Weber Arena (Germany)
30 – Vienna, Stadthalle (Austria)
October
1 – Vienna, Stadthalle (Austria)
3 – Prague, O2 Universum (Czech Republic)
4 – Berlin, Uber Arena (Germany)
6 – Munich, Olympiahalle (Germany)
7 – Munich, Olympiahalle (Germany)
8 – Frankfurt, Festhalle (Germany)
10 – Leipzig, Quarterback Immobilien Arena (Germany)
11 – Hamburg, Barclays Arena (Germany)
13 – Warsaw, Torwar (Poland)
15 – Tampere, Nokia Arena (Finland)
17 – Stockholm, Tele2 Arena (Sweden)
18 – Oslo, Unity Arena (Norway)
19 – Gothenburg, Scandinavium (Sweden)
21 – Hannover, ZAG Arena (Germany)
22 – Rotterdam, Ahoy (Netherlands)
23 – Esch-Sur-Alzette, Rockhal (Luxembourg)
25 – Zurich, Hallenstadion (Switzerland)
28 – Bilbao, BEC (Spain)
30 – Barcelona, Sant Jordi Club (Spain)
31 – Madrid, Vistalegre Arena (Spain)
November
2 – Paris, Zenith (France)
5 – Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena (United Kingdom)
6 – Cardiff, Utilita Arena (United Kingdom)
8 – Manchester, AO Arena (United Kingdom)
10 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro (United Kingdom)
12 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena (United Kingdom)
13 – London, OVO Arena Wembley (United Kingdom)
For more information on Witch Fever please check their facebook and instagram.
