Tru-metal atavists Seven Witches make my life complete. With this album, Jack Frost & Co. establish a meaner, more sinewy beast, prowling the jungle of genre with bright white teeth. It's apparent right from the start, with the song "Metal Tyrant," that we're in the hands of assured pros.
What's even more remarkable is that this band has only been around a short time; it's barely pre-millennial. Shocking but true. You'd think that with Wade Black (ex-Crimson Glory/Sector 9) helming vocal duties, his facile wail bolted to the rhythmic floor by Brian Craig (Destiny's End) on drums and original Witches bassist Billy Mez, the whole renaissance in heavy metal was just waiting for these guys to show up and show 'em how it's done.
Frost's merciless shred, mesmerizing ice-fractals and glacial flows making his namesake flesh, dominates these tracks. In addition, guesters Jon Oliva (Savatage) and Joe Comeau (Annihilator) show up for added screams and harmonic nastiness, respectively.
If big-selling heavy metal now appeals more to an acne-ridden skateboarding crowd than the true afficianado, Seven Witches promises to change all that. As Black roars in the album's intro, "We're taking back the metal." Take that seriously. A brilliant achievement.
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