Unlike many of their New Wave of British Heavy Metal peers who injected their music with a certain punk attitude, Witchfinder General drank strictly from the Black Sabbath fountain. Their 1982 debut, Death Penalty, is a celebration of all things Sabbath -- from the plodding rhythms of "Burning a Sinner" and "R.I.P." to the early-Sabs intro of "No Stayer," and even the band's rocking "Paranoid" knock-off, "Free Country." Singer Zeeb Parkes' range is rather limited, but that never stopped Ozzy Osbourne, and his mostly satanic lyrics are especially amusing on the cryptic-sounding opener "Invisible Hate," which eventually resorts to shouts of "more beer." Despite similarly silly lyrics, the song that bears the band's name is definitely the album's highlight, thanks to its engagingly ferocious main riff. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
Death Penalty is the debut album by NWOBHM band Witchfinder General. It was released in 1982 on Heavy Metal Records. The album received some criticism for the cover photograph, which featured topless model Joanne Latham. The photograph had been taken in the yard of St Mary the Blessed Virgin Church in Enville, Staffordshire, without the permission of the local Reverend.[1] The album was originally released on LP and picture disc and was later reissued on CD. Pictured on the cover is Phil Cope, Zeeb Parkes, Graham Ditchfild and a member of the then Road Crew. While Peter Hinton is credited with producing this recording the writers Phil Cope and Zeeb Parkes always felt the credit should have gone to the engineer Robin George.
