Wykked Wytch

A melodic black, thrash, and death metal band led by the mercurial vocalist Ipek, Wykked Wytch first started making waves shortly after the formation of the band in the mid-'90s in Philadelphia. The band's first release, Something Wykked This Way Comes, arrived on Ipek's own Cauldron label in 1996. The album was soon picked up for European distribution by Demolition, which led to an increased profile for Ipek and her outfit across the Atlantic. Roster changes would dominate the band's time during the next couple of years, so it wasn't until 1999 that work began on a new album. After a couple more years in the studio, Wykked Wytch's follow-up, 2001's Angelic Vengance, hit the streets in the fall of that year. The album was well received, especially in Europe, and led to an opening slot for the band on the Hell Comes to Your Town Tour II, with Kreator, Sodom, and Destruction, all legends in the genre. Wykked Wytch's third album, Nefret, was released on Demolition/Dreamcatcher in 2004, and soon Wykked were constantly on the road, even scoring an opening slot for Deicide in 2005. A deal was negotiated with SixSixSix Records, but the pairing fell through, and Wykked Wytch were forced to promote and pay for their fourth album, 2007's Memories of a Dying Whore, on their own.