The Alchemist (Rise Above)

Imagine yourself in a wood-panelled rec room cloaked in incense smoke and crouching on a shag carpet in front of Magnavox speakers hooked up to a turntable, and you'll be all set to experience Witchcraft. The foursome from Orebro, Sweden, is the latest fashionable contender in the '70s-style hipster-metal sweepstakes, vying for attention with Wolfmother and the Sword. Based on The Alchemist, the band's third album, all the hype from Popmatters and Decibel isn't just blowing bong smoke.

Witchcraft has carried the doom-metal tag since forming in 2000, and admittedly, certain moments here reinforce that impression, such as when frontman Magnus Pelander intones with echo-chambered portentousness on the 11-minute title track: "I've seen great kingdoms, I've seen them rise and fall/I'm a thousand years old." But the band has progressed well beyond ritualistic Black Sabbath homage, with the song dipping at other points into Pink Floyd–esque reveries.

A mounting jungle-jazz groove opens "Samaritan Burden," which then morphs into a stripped-down sludge lament that showcases Ola Henriksson's bass work. On "Remembered", Procol Harum–like organ tones contrast sparklingly with muted conjurings of "Iron Man" from Pelander and fellow riff-guardian John Hoyles. The ProTools-free production, courtesy of producer Tom Hakava (The Scaramangas, Flannelmouth), enhances the vintage, quasi-live feel on each track. Metalheads, indie fans, and music teachers alike could unite around these performances. Witchcraft offers just that kind of rare brew.