While Netflix’sThe Witcherhas had its ups and downs over its three seasons so far, especially due to concerns aroundGeralt being recast as Liam Hemsworth, one part of the show has always been a wild success — the character of Jaskier,Geralt’s best friend and frequent source of irritation, played byJoey Batey. Since the show’s first season, Jaskier’s presence guarantees a good episode ofThe Witcher, and there’s no denyingJaskier’s songs are phenomenal.

The real-world troubadour behind the lute, though, is even more talented; English actor and musician Joey Batey has been a performer since childhood, and has an incredible list of British film and TV projects as well as a stint with the Royal Shakespeare Company to his name. Yet the project of Batey’s that serves as a wonderfully dark reflection of his bardic alter-ego ishis band, The Amazing Devil.

The Amazing Devil Will Bewitch And Beguile You

With their first single “King” in 2016, The Amazing Devil burst onto the folk-rock scene with a sound that is a little baroque, a little burlesque, and exploding with artistic fury. Since then, their releases have only become more polished, andtheir three studio albums so far —Love Run,The Horror and the Wild, andruin— are packed full of dense, artful lyrics, as well as instrumentation that ranges from simple acoustic guitar to a full coven of folk instruments.

The Amazing Devil Aren’t Just A Reprise Of Jaskier’s Songs

While Batey’s sound is a key part ofThe Witcher’s pseudo-medieval aesthetic,he’s only half of what makes The Amazing Devil great. The other is Madeleine Hyland, who provided the band’s origin story in an interview with Notre Dame’sWith a Side of Knowledge. The duo met in 2013 when they were both cast in the Royal Shakespeare Company’sWolf Hallduology, which ran for two years, first moving to the West End and then Broadway. Over those years, Batey and Hyland spent enough time playing music together that upon their return to London they immediately recorded their first album.

Sadly, Batey’s shooting schedule forThe Witcherfranchise has only gotten more demanding.

The theatrical origins of The Amazing Devil are beautifully obvious, especially their live performances, where both Hyland and Batey transform into musical psychopomps, infusing the music with every drop of their inner darkness and joy. Sadly, Batey’s shooting schedule forThe Witcherfranchise has only gotten more demanding, with the bard appearing not only in the main series but also the prequelBlood Originand the upcomingSirens of the Deep, so 2021’sruinremainsThe Amazing Devil’s most recent outing. Hopefully, they’ll return to the studio as soon as Batey returns from his latest misadventures on the Continent.

(Source:With a Side of Knowledge)