SEVEN WITCHES „Passage To The Other Side”

Seven Witches are now on CD number four and their third vocalist overall. Original mouthpiece Bobby Lucas lasted through the debut Second War In Heaven and its successor City Of Lost Souls before joining with Overlorde and most recently Limb Music artist Exhibition. Wade Black, who I've only heard on the Crimson Glory effort Astronomica from 1999, only lasted for the third Seven Witches CD Xiled To Infinity And One. Now, legendary Helstar and Destiny's End screamer James Rivera appears for Jack Frost's (Guitar) metal machine which now includes bassist Joey Very (Armored Saint, Fates Warning, Engine) and drummer Brian Craig who worked with Rivera in Destiny's End. I first heard Seven Witches on their debut, and it was a great, heavier, power metal release. But this is the first time I've listened to the project since their debut.

James Rivera really fits the overall mix, adding his patented vocal abilities seamlessly over the well-constructed, metal, wall of sound. But lyrically I fear these Seven Witches songs are a step back for him. Song titles like 'Dance With The Dead', 'Apocalyptic Dreams', and 'Nature's Wrath' are preoccupied with clichés, and while they are unmistakably strong power metal tracks, the material James was singing about for the previous Destiny's End release Transition was far more compelling and complex in my opinion. Something about the overall presentation on Transition sounded fresh and original. Meanwhile, Passage To The Other Side appears solid but stuck in the norm. That's not to say that Passage To The Other Side fails, because it doesn't as I actually enjoy the stereotypical songs I previously mentioned with 'Nature's Wrath' taking precedence over the three. Also, 'Mental Messiah' is a full-on Judas Priest inspired romp, while 'Johnny' ventures into more melodic territory although I feel the song ends abruptly at just under four minutes. It never really gets the change to sink in the way some of the lengthier moments Passage To The Other Side do. Other songs such as 'The Lost Horizon' are terribly fast, taking pages from many thrash metal bands in terms of speed, while the Def Leppard cover of 'Wasted' is intriguing, though not overly good.

The true triumph comes in the closing title-track with is a vocal duet between Rivera and Jack Frost. At over 7 minutes it's the only track on the CD with adds a touch of melody into the overall scheme of things, and it gives Rivera the chance to truly sing for once, instead of screaming his lings out from start to finish. And while the song starts out slower, it hits full stride at just over the two minute mark, speeding up the tempo and fully churning out some classic metal.

Overall what we get here is a solid release, but it feels as if James Rivera and Joey Vera are simply treading water, so I would've preferred seeing Rivera keep his previous project afloat. But I can't shun the entire effect and this CD is suggested listening for past Seven Witches enthusiasts or fans of previous works from James Rivera and Joey Vera. If the unit stays strong, things can only get better. But in the past, just as the ball began rolling with one unit, time passed and the picture faded.

Playing time: 48:27