Spellbinding creativity in the obscure realm of the so-called "ghastly macabre" does not just belong in recent times, as the most evocative examples are indissolubly tied to its amazing origins. In 1970, a magical year that many witnesses of the very first dawning of heavy rock and progressive consider both extraordinary and unrepeatable to this day, English underground was enlivened by a growing interest in the occult and mediumism: that was the birth of the so-called ‘Dark Sound’, devoted to the powers of darkness as well as Ossianism. Its fame was established on the dualism between two bands, Black Sabbath and Black Widow; if the former relied upon terrifying, oppressive riff, Black Widow resorted to subtler tricks and to an elaborate completeness in order to display their supremacy in creating a ghastly, ear-catching atmosphere...Thus the Leicester-based sextet conceived a brilliant and absolutely unique masterpiece, "Sacrifice", whose incomparable richness comes from the fertile inventions of each instrument (Clive Jones’ winds, Zoot Taylor’s smutty organ , Jim Gannon’s powerful lead guitar -with an ear on acoustic interludes - and more, such as echoes of tribal percussions...), which all amalgamate superbly, to the point of supporting each other, with perfectly homogeneous results. Yet, despite the authors’ indisputable talent, "Sacrifice" ( the most important antagonist of Black Sabbath’s debut album) didn’t meet with the audience’s approval. Drawing inspirations from its themes, the band created a hypnotic live show, centred on the female demon Astaroth, which was both musical and theatrical at the same time. The absolute protagonist was singer Kip Trevor, thanks to his imposing stage presence. Furthermore, the band had to face the press’ hostility: their music was referred to as "influenced by black masses" and "destined to unsound masses"; they eventually detached from witchcraft in Sacrifice’s two follow-ups, "Black Widow" and "Black Widow III", both valuable but inevitably overshadowed if compared to their predecessor, a truly unforgettable milestone of the original "occult wave". After years of incomprehensible obscurantism, we can finally celebrate the rediscovery of this legendary band, thanks to previously unreleased recordings which were unearthed from its secret archives and published as "Black Widow IV" and "Return to the Sabbat": these albums are far superior to many hyped products from the progressive era. In Italy, Black Widow have always had a loyal and fervent cult following, and there is even a label carrying the very same name: Black Widow Records has released an ambitious Tribute Album which carries the seal of approval of Clive Jones himself: the warden of the flame agreed to have a part in the project with "Intro" , purposely written for the occasion. Other significative underground bands venture upon such classics as "In Ancient Days", "Sacrifice", "Way to Power" and "Come to the Sabbat" - the latter also available in a rare version recorded by Kip Trevor with Pendragon, under the name Widow. The aim pursued by "King of the Witches" is to offer a massive sacrifice to a desolately unappreciated band: Black Widow are one of the great hidden treasures of rock music.