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SEVEN WITCHES – PASSAGE TO THE OTHER SIDE
2003 Noise Records
Yet another winner from the Noise/Sanctuary label! I'm a huge Seven Witches fan now and anticipated this album since I heard samples of it months ago. Well, Jack Frost has delivered again! PASSAGE TO THE OTHER SIDE is an incredible Metal ride. Exit vocalist Wade Black after last year's classic XILED TO INFINITY AND ONE and enter vocalist extraordinaire James Rivera (of Helstar and Destiny's End) to lift the band to it's finest release to date. This All-American line-up easily competes with all the European Power Metal bands on the scene today, showing them how it's done. The band consists of Metal veterans Jack Frost, James Rivera, Joey Vera and Brian Craig. This is a great band that has created a galloping, screaming Power Metal classic!

The album opens with the pummelling "Dance With The Dead." Track two, "Mental Messiah" with it's Halford-esque vocals, is a catchy headbanger that will stay in your head for days. "Johnny" is a cool song followed by the double bass attack of "Apocalyptic Dreams." Next is "Fever In The City," which slows things down in parts to a Metal groove. Jack unleashes some cool lead guitar on this song. Other standout songs are "The Last Horizon" and the title track. The cover song this time is a brilliant powerful version of Def Leppard's "Wasted." Odd choice but well done.

The album cover, by Jan Meininghaus, is awesome and the layout and design are very well done. A solid package all around. PASSAGE TO THE OTHER SIDE is classic Heavy Metal. These guys aren't trying to reinvent the wheel, just make it the best wheel around. I love this album! My favorite of the year so far.

DISCOGRAPHY:

SECOND WAR IN HEAVEN (1999) Massacre
CITY OF LOST SOULS (2000) Massacre
XILED TO INFINITY AND ONE (2002) Noise
PASSAGE TO THE OTHER SIDE (2003) Noise
Click here to hear song samples and to buy PASSAGE TO THE OTHER SIDE