Reverend Bizarre

Reverend Bizarre formed in 1994 in Finland, with Albert Witchfinder (born Albert Smirnoff) and Jussi Lehtisalo at the core. They worked in the underground for years, putting out records like 'Harbinger of Metal' in 1997 and 'In the Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend' later on. Their sound was a deliberate, heavy take on traditional doom metal, slow and unadorned, which kept them from breaking through to a wider audience at the time.

They called it quits in 2007, but a few years later, their 2002 album 'Doom Over the World' found a new audience. Tracks like 'Cromwell' and 'Apocalyptic Riders' from that period started getting more attention from listeners who appreciated that specific, uncompromising style. The album's resurgence gave them a kind of cult status they hadn't really had while they were active.

Their lyrics often dealt with dark, bleak themes, songs like 'Burn In Hell' and 'By This Axe I Rule!' made that clear, and their overall approach was too extreme for some. They never really softened their sound or their subject matter, which meant they stayed a particular kind of band for a particular kind of fan.