Passage To The Other Side (Seven Witches)

I like to describe the style of Seven Witches as being a cross between Manowar and Nevermore. The guitar riffs have a melodic but modern feel to their delivery, the vocals are executed with shrieking Rob Halford worship, the rhythm section gets its chances to shine, and the songwriting focuses almost entirely on fast paces and solid hooks throughout. This album is considered by some to be the band's best effort and is the first to feature Helstar/Vicious Rumors vocalist James Rivera, the only to feature Armored Saint bassist Joey Vera, and the last to feature Destiny's End drummer Brian Craig.

Dance With The Dead: A building guitar/bass melody opens this song's introduction nicely before a more intense set of riffs and drums take its place, the verses continue with commanding vocals thrown into the mix, the pre-chorus features some percussive vocal/instrumental trade-offs, the chorus throws in some solid falsettos above the persisting rhythm, more melodic vocals make an appearance during the bridge, and the solo section features strong guitar bits. A strong start.
9 out of 10

Mental Messiah: Particularly dark guitar riffs open this song nicely with another building rhyhm soon joining in, the verses continue with more soaring falsettos mixed in with angry snarls, the pre-chorus features more prominent drumming, the chorus brings in some powerful layering, the bridge offers an even heavier riff and building vocals that lead into the electrifying solo section quite nicely, and the song ends with a neat breakdown. Another great song that may be one of my favorites on the album.
9 out of 10

Johnny: Another driving rhythm opens this song, the verses continues with gruff vocal lines that do get a tad comical on occasion, the pre-chorus slows the song down and brings in more odd but still enjoyable vocal lines, the chorus offers soaring vocals and uplifting riffs, and the solo section offers strong guitar squeals. A little cheesy but an awesome track.
9 out of 10

Apocalyptic Dreams: Odd guitar effects open this song in a Tom Morello-esque fashion before a bass heavy rhythm completely takes over with a few neat pitch harmonics thrown in, the verses continue with more gruff vocals thrown in, the pre-chorus brings in some interestingly echoed vocal lines, the chorus is solid though somewhat repetitive. A good song, though not as strong as the ones before it.
8 out of 10

Fever In The City: More interesting guitar effects and a brief drum solo open this song before another intense rhythm takes over, the verses continue like the songs before it, the pre-chorus and chorus bring in more neat vocal trade-offs, and the bridge features a solid breakdown with a few neat solos between its stanzas. Another solid tune.
8 out of 10

Betrayed: Now we come to a mid-tempo track that may be influenced more by modern metal than the others. It comes with a neat riff and a mid-tempo rhythm for the introduction, drawn out vocals during the verses, the pre-chorus brings in a few heavier riffs, and the chorus offers a solid refrain. A solid track, though perhaps the weakest track on the album.
7 out of 10

The Lost Horizon: This track is a little more melodic than the songs before it, but it retains a heavy feel. The introduction comes in with triumphant guitar harmonies and persist double bass drums in the background, the verses continue with heavier drums and a vaguely familiar guitar riff, the chorus brings the triumphant feel of the intro back in with some matching vocal layers, and the solo section features more great shredding. Another awesome track.
9 out of 10

Nature's Wrath: Some strange guitar/bass effects open this song's introduction interestingly before another strong rhythm comes in, the verses continue with commanding guitar/vocal trade-offs with a strong bass line beneath it all, the pre-chorus features a neat guitar/vocal harmony, the chorus features more great vocal lines, and the song ends with another crunchy breakdown. A good song that may be the heaviest track on the album.
8 out of 10

Wasted: The album's standard cover tune is a song originally by none other than Def Leppard (Don't worry, it's one from the "On Through The Night" album). Fortunately, the song is done justice and features catchy guitar riffs, a variety of vocals (including a gruff voice that reminds me of Paul Di'Anno. . .), and a catchy chorus. Just what I needed, another reason to look into the old Def Leppard. . .
9 out of 10

Passage To The Other Side: Closing the album out is its epic title track. Its introduction and opening verses start the song off in a ballad fashion with somber guitar/bass melodies that kinda remind me of Megadeth's "Good Mourning/Black Friday" and matching melodic vocals, the following verses continue with much heavier guitar melodies and strong wails, the chorus is even more uplifting, the solo section is packed with more soaring leads, and the song eventually ends as it began. A powerful closer.
9 out of 10

Overall, this album gets 85 out of 100, 85%, and 4 stars. It may have a few cheesy moments, but this may be the band's strongest effort to date. It should satisfy seasoned fans of power/traditional metal and may be enough to bring in a few listeners from the more modern metal scene. Buy it if you can find it.