Band:	Seven Witches
Album:	Year Of The Witch
Style:	Heavy metal, US power metal
Release date:	September 20, 2004
A review by:	Malcolm

01. Metal Asylum
02. Year Of The Witch
03. Fires Below
04. Cries Of The Living
05. If You Were God
06. Can't Find My Way
07. Act 1 Whispers
08. Act 2: Voice Of Jacob
09. Act 3: Mirror To Me
10. Act 4: Haunting Dreams
11. Act 5: Jacob Speaks
12. Act 6: Circles
13. Act 7: The Prophet Is You
14. Act 8: Dream Or Reality

Jack Frost and his seven witches are back in town to drive all witch hunters away.
Well, to be correct, Seven Witches aren't more than four persons, with the quite legendary guitarist Jack Frost as main-man, but anyhow, they are back again, with their fifth album, and this time it's historic, because it's the first time a line-up in Seven Witches is the same as on the previous album, and that means Jack Frost (Guitars), James Rivera (Vocals), Joey Vera (Bass) and Brian Craig (Drums).

But apart from previous albums, Jack is not the only composer on this album, Joey Vera of Armoured Saint / Anthrax / Fates Warning fame, was involved with the writing from the start to finish. And one song is actually an old David Ellefson (ex- Megadeth) song.
As you can see, Seven Witches has change, even if the line-up is the same.

But if you fear that the old Seven Witches you love is gone, don't worry, that much hasn't happen with the music, it's still the same searing guitar solo's, progressive leanings, nods to the metal of yore and James Rivera is still behind the mic.
So this is definite for you that fell for "Passage to the Other Side" album.
But for me that have "Xiled to Infinity And One" as favourite, it's yet another album with Rivera behind the mic, I really miss Wade Black, he did a incredible work with that album, and we shall not forget Bobby Lucas for his work on the first two albums, even if the second one wasn't as good as the first.

Anyway, let's keep the past out of this for a while, and let's focus on the present album, "Year of the Witch" instead.
That's an album divined in two parts, one regular with just some songs, that I really can't find any connection in, and one part, about Jacob.
I can't tell you anything about the story it self, since I don't got anything with the promo and the promo-sheet isn't saying anything about it either.
So all information I can give is that the story is about Jacob, that's all.

Even if the album contains 14 songs (with some short acts), it's quite short, with a playing time on 42 minutes, it flies away very fast and it's soon in the beginning again.
But that's not because it's unbelievable good or just bad, it's because it's very short.
The album is otherwise good, it's can't compete against "Second War in Heaven" from 1999 or "Xiled to Infinity And One" from 2002, but it's better than the previous album, even if the title-track in "Passage" is better than this.

"Year of the Witch" feels quite natural as a successor to "Passage to the Other Side", even if the material this time is written by Frost and Vera, not only Frost.
But as long Rivera stays behind the mic, it's going to be hard not to say that a new album by Seven Withes will sound like a successor to the previous.
But don't get me wrong there, Rivera is not a bad singer; he actually sounds much like Rob Halford from time to time.

So as you might understand now, this album will please fans from "Passage" era, and unfortunately it don't give us anything new, but hey, I don't think that would have favoured Seven Witches that much either.
This is more or less what I expected from them and I guess fans will be happy about it.
And to end it, I'll explain my choice of the points, 7.9 is not because the album is bad, it's because their other albums is good, and still 7.9 is a good score.

Check Out: "Year of the Witch", "Cries of the Living" & "Voice of Jacob".