Year Of The Witch (Seven Witches)

Seven Witches' fifth album has been described as the ending of an era for the band. It is the only album to feature Winters Bane/Beyond Fear bassist Dennis Hayes and drummer Craig Anderson and is the last to feature vocalist James Rivera, who left to focus on Helstar. Musically, the album puts a few progressive elements into the band's signature blend of old school and modern metal and is also noteworthy for being their first album not to feature a cover song. . .

Metal Asylum: Paying tribute to the numerous artists that influenced guitarist Jack Frost and his merry band of metal minstrels, this song starts the album off in a solid fashion. Musically, the track features energetic riffs, a variety of vocal acrobatics, great bass lines, a soaring chorus, and a rather silly spoken bit during the bridge. Lyrically, some of the names mentioned are quite interesting (Rose Tattoo, Thin Lizzy, etc) but the phrasing is not quite as clever as it could be. Check out "Metal Machine" and "Metal Crue" by Sabaton if you really want to hear some amusing name dropping. . .
8 out of 10

Year Of The Witch: Dark guitar riffs open the album's title track nicely with a shrill shriek soon accompanying, the verses continue at a solid pace with some odd layering thrown in every now and then, the chorus is quite uplifting but somewhat awkwardly sequenced, and the bridge starts off with a bass solo that soon leads into more oddly sequenced falsettos. A good tune, though not as solid as it could be
7 out of 10

Fires Below: Interesting guitar effects open this tune and lead into an energetic gallop for the song's introduction, the verses continue with cool vocal and guitar lines, the pre-chorus is somewhat pompous but catchy, the chorus is a nice catchy bit, and the bridge brings to a somewhat slower pace before going into a thrashy solo section. A pretty good tune.
8 out of 10

Cries Of The Living: This song is a solid mid-tempo tune in the vein of Exodus' "Shroud Of Urine" and Candlemass' "Born In A Tank". It features upbeat guitar crunches, sweet leads, some interesting stop-start bits during the verses, an interesting layered chorus, and slower riffs and distorted layering during the bridge. Another cool tune.
8 out of 10

If You Were God: Megadeth/F5 bassist Dave Ellefson was generous enough to contribute this song to the band and even play bass on it as a guest musician. The result is an upbeat rocker that features more melodic guitar harmonies, driving rhythms, upbeat verses, another interesting layered chorus, and a building bridge that leads into some cool shredding. One of my favorite tracks on the album, even if it is a little commercial and by-the-numbers. . .
9 out of 10

Can't Find My Way: Actually, this track may be my favorite on the album. It is an interesting ballad that features a powerful bass line, majestic guitar flourishes in the background, emotional vocals, and a simple but uplifting chorus. Overall, a tune that is quite effective in its simplicity.
9 out of 10

Whispers/Voice Of Jacob: Now we come to the most ambitious part of the album, for the next eight songs are all parts of an overall whole. "Whispers" is basically just a spoken collage with some odd keyboard atmospherics and "Voice of Jacob" is an upbeat power metal number that features driving riffs, over the top vocals, a building pre-chorus, another uplifting chorus, and a fairly unusual breakdown during the bridge. A nice way to starting the epic off.
8 out of 10

Mirror To Me: This track is a brief instrumental bit that features unusual guitar squeals, a fairly neat rhythm, more keyboards, and an unusual spoken bit delivered by a young boy. It's certainly interesting. . .
7 out of 10

Haunting Dreams: Aggressive guitars open this song's introduction nicely, the verses continue with an interesting guitar chug and lower pitched vocals, the pre-chorus brings in some odd falsettos, the chorus is another uplifting bit with strange contributions from both falsettos and what appear to be death grunts, and the solo section goes to a breakdown before picking up speed. A decent number.
7 out of 10

Jacob Speaks/Circles: "Jacob Speaks" is literally just a 5 second portion meant to continue the story. "Circles" is another ballad track that features melodic guitar playing, vocal lines eerily similar to those of "Can't Find My Way", and a less powerful chorus. Not as dramatic as it could be, and probably the album's weakest moment.
6 out of 10

The Prophet Is You: Building chords and nice drum fills open this song's introduction before going into a more dramatic chug, the verses continue with confidently delivered vocals, the chorus is memorable though not as uplifting as it could've been, and the song closes out with a brief breakdown that is soon joined by echoing vocals. A pretty solid track.
8 out of 10

Dream Or Reality: Closing the album out is another brief spoken bit (21 seconds, to be exact. . .). I'ts slightly filler but it is interesting to hear.
7 out of 10

Overall, this album gets 92 out of 120, 77%, and 3.5 stars. Sometimes I think the band may be trying a tad too hard (I still have no idea what the Jacob story is all about. . .), but it does have its moments and is worth checking out for fans of the band and this brand of metal in general.