Recently, I have been introduced to more and more new music — it never seems to end. That's a good thing. Now, have I heard of Seven Witches? Yes. Have I heard of Jack Frost? Yes. Have I ever heard them? No. So, now that we have that out of the way, let's take a look at the disk.
Year of the Witch turned out to be a great way to be introduced to the band. All that is required to enjoy Seven Witches and their music is a love for pure heavy metal. The 75-minute concert more than delivers the goods.
I was surprised to find that they have been around for less than ten years, which is a good thing. It is always great to find a band turning out quality heavy metal that hasn't been corrupted by the worlds of nu metal, emo, screamo, hardcore, and whatever else you can think of. While I do enjoy parts of those other genres, there is so little real metal around (at least that I've been able to find) that when you hear a group like Seven Witches, it's a breath of fresh air.
The band takes the stage to the cheers of the crowd and proceeds to deliver power metal in a pure form. No rapping or screaming here, just a dose of melodic power metal, delivered by a group of musicians who know how to handle their instruments. From the opening of "Dance with the Dead" to the anthemic "Metal Tyrant" through "Camelot" and the show closer "Mental Messiah," there is a lot to like here.
Jack Frost is a very impressive guitar player, who reminds me a bit of Savatage's Chris Caffrey. His guitar is the backbone of Seven Witches, upon which the rest is hung. From the heavy riffs to the speedy solos, he has the chops on which to build the metal. The other high point is vocalist James Rivera; with his 'Bruce Dickinson crossed with Rob Halford'-style voice, he adds to that pure power metal sound. Unfortunately, after watching the disk I have found that Rivera has joined the list of former Seven Witches singers.
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