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Seven Witches: Years Of The Witch (DVD)

The fans of Seven Witches and Jack Frost have been asking for a DVD of their music over the course of the bands five releases and now they finally have one. Years Of The Witch is just what they have been waiting for in order to sit down and crank up the Metal and enjoy one of their favorite bands…or is it something far less than they expected. I am disappointed to say that this DVD is a little bit of both for while Seven Witches is a fine band who has delivered capable and tasty Metal for many years, the production on this release is terrible. The show itself is chock full of the bands best material from across their years and is apparently shot at a decent sized club but the sound is so muddled that it makes sitting through it almost arduous. You continually find yourself turning up the volume and finding it to be of little help if any at all. The same company did the work on the Nuclear Assault DVD Louder, Harder, Faster and while I felt any production inconsistencies were resident on that one alone, I was sad to find a repeat scenario for the Seven Witches release. This is a shame when it is the bands first-ever DVD for there is always the chance that the production value can cause the band to be viewed in negative light. A production like this makes you question the money spent and it is very difficult to enjoy. It's also a shame for the members of Seven Witches who do work very hard under the command of Mr. Frost, a talented and dedicated guitarist who I am sure expected this to be a little better himself. The musical highlights are many on this release such as "Camelot" (one of the bands most favored numbers) and "Passage To The Other Side", but with the sound being so limited, it takes the pleasure of these tracks right away. If you are one of Frost's die-hards then perhaps this does not matter much to you and you will purchase it anyway. However, if you are casual fan who seeks a comprehensive look at the band perhaps you are better suited to remain listening to the now domestically available back catalog. My low rating on this release is by no means my thoughts on Seven Witches, only the production of this release.

Bonus Features: Story Of The Witch, Sit Down With Jack Frost & Mark Gromen, The Man Behind The Music, Journey Through Camelot, Archive Concert Footage. These segments are enjoyable, especially in the history of the group, which is open, honest, and done by Frost himself from the studio. He also has a decent one on one candid interview with BWBK's Mark Gromen. "Journey Through Camelot" might find some fans as they show the various band line-ups during this one song over the years.


Song Listing
1. Open
2. Dance With The Dead
3. Apocalyptic Dreams
4. Metal Tyrant
5. The Answer
6. Johnny
7. Jam Session
8. Can't Find My Way
9. Incubus
10. Metal Asylum
11. Warmth Of Winter
12. Camelot
13. Natures Wrath
14. Cries Of The Living
15. Passage To The Other Side
16. Mental Messiah

Added: October 12th 2006
Reviewer: Ken Pierce
Score:
Related Link: Seven Witches Website
Hits: 3036
Language: english

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» SoT Staff Roundtable Reviews:

Seven Witches: Years Of The Witch (DVD)
Posted by Pete Pardo, SoT Staff Writer on 2006-10-12 15:12:41
My Score:

It's a real shame when a solid band puts out their first DVD and is basically sabotaged by shoddy sound quality. That's the case here on Seven Witches' Years of the Witch. Jack Frost and company happen to be a metal band that really sticks to their guns and delivers classic early 80's style heavy metal-if you haven't heard their string of albums released since the late 90's, think influences like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Iced Earth, and Savatage, and you get an idea of what to expect. The main set here is expertly shot (I believe from a show in Allentown, PA, judging by the interaction with the crowd, but there's no confirmation on the DVD itself), but the audio suffers from some seriously muddy sound. In fact, main man and guitarist Frost is so muddy and so far down in the mix, all you can really hear are the vocals of James Rivera, who is way up front and center. Thankfully he has a very strong and powerful voice, so even though the bass and drums are buried, you get Rivera's histrionic pipes and plenty of drums to carry you through. Considering how good the camera work is, this is quite a travesty.

Bonus wise, there's plenty of stuff here, including an interview with Jack Frost, who talks about the history of Seven Witches, and includes some vintage photos and live footage (check out the crushing footage from the BW&BK Six Pack Weekend) spliced in for good measure. As an overall Seven Witches package, Years of the Witch is solid stuff, and with the exception of the poor sound on the main set, is recommended for fans of Jack Frost and the band.



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