Air Drawn Dagger – A Guide For Apparitions
Long Branch Records
7,0/10,0
Brief:
Formed in Sheffield, Air Drawn Dagger blend raw emotion and defiance into a sound that defies genre. Their name, taken from Macbeth, symbolizes the chaos and emotional outbursts that fuel their music. Air Drawn Dagger invite you on a spellbinding journey with A Guide for Apparitions, their debut album that fuses macabre mysticism with multi-genre-infused rock. Building on the eerie energy of their ‘Seance Season Mixtape’ and the mythic defiance of their ‘Songs to Fight the Gods To’ EP, this debut album continues their exploration of the mystical and the supernatural. Drawing inspiration from Grimoires and pagan traditions, the album delves into themes of necromancy, witchcraft, and the perilous balance between summoning and control. Apparitions—seen across cultures as spirits of lost souls or gods—serve as a recurring motif, tying to Celtic and Norse pagan beliefs and archetypes like the Tridevi or “Maiden, Mother, Crone.”
These spiritual cycles echo across the album, blending ancient esotericism with raw emotional power. Produced by Neil Kennedy (Creeper, Boston Manor), each track pulls listeners through haunted tales and cosmic chaos, conjuring imagery from Witch Trials to ghost lore. With elements of alchemy and apocalyptic prophecy, ‘A Guide For Apparitions’ is more than an album; it’s a darkly poetic ritual that navigates the thin veil between the living and the beyond.
[Edited Press Release]
Tracklist:
- Hymn of the Hag
- Sanctifound
- Sweatin’
- Teeth
- Skinwalkers
- Cadavers
- MaidenMotherCrone
- Castle
- Necromancer
- Coma
- Apparitions (ft. Trash Boat, Tobi Duncan)
- Bellyaches
Main Focus Tracks:
- Sanctifound
- Apparitions (ft. Trash Boat, Tobi Duncan)
Other Recommended Tracks:
- Sweatin’
- Skinwalkers
- MaidenMotherCrone
- Castle
Line-Up:
Maisie Manterfield – Vocals
Lewis Budden – Guitars
Ross Dore – Drums
Comments:
Air Drawn Dagger offers a powerful and aggressive album, often tempered by commercial melodies. But the end result is pleasant and deserves to be listened to carefully. A nice mix between power and very catchy melodic moments.
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Selected Discography:
The Séance Season Mixtape – 2022
A Guide for Apparitions – 2025
Photo Credit: Ricardo Cenci Media