Customer Reviews

Passage to the Other Side

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3 star:		(1)
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Some bands manage to capture a sound that completely derives from the old masters.Priest,Maiden,Accept,Dio and to a lesser status Savatage.And even though the market for this stuff has long since dried up.Bands like Hammerfall,Steel Prophet,Primal Fear,Dream Evil, and now Jack Frost's Seven Witches still fly the banners high and still release traditional heavy metal records.This band has one previous record that I heard a few tracks from that did'nt do much 4me.The best being a cover of Grim Reaper's See You In Hell.Not bad.This new CD has a differant singer and bassist though.The singer does a fair job and the bassist is Joey Vera of Armored Saint & Fates Warning.This record has a great dark and heavy vibe.Jack Frost's playing & riffing really reminds me of Jeff Waters.First track Dance With the Dead starts off a heavy pace followed by a very Priest like track called Metal Mesiah.The heaviness continues through the entire disc with Fever in the City being a standout.A wicked little riff.Betrayed is right off of Hall of the Mountain King,almost a nod to Savatage that this killer riff could've been yours.( Jack Frost did some touring with Savatage but was fired B4 recording any music with them). This CD also follows suit in doing a cover.This one is Def Leppard's Wasted.A high octain version with double kick drums that make for a much heavier track than the Leps laid down.The title track closes things out.And after a shred fest of 9 tracks of true metal,Passage to the Other Side takes you on a journey through death and the final act of passing into the spirit world. A powerful song and a strong finish.Any fans of the bands I've mentioned should enjoy this album.Steeped in true heavy metal tradition Seven Witches still thinks it's 1985.And 4An old rivet head like me,that works just fine.

Great new album from Seven Witches! New vocalist James is a dead ringer for Halford!! Check out the second track "Mental Messiah". Uncanny!
The music sounds a lot like the recent Halford/Fight albums. Great straight ahead metal with unreal vocals! Can't wait to hear the next album.

I don't understand at all the comments about this album sounding the same, in fact, every other 7 Witches album i have listened to do not compare at all to this. The main reason for this is the killer vocals of one James Rivera. The man knows how to sing, knows what the song needs & gets it done.
I happen to think the songs here are the stronger ones in their catalog. Yup, it's power metal, it is not inventing anything new & I could care a less....it's good, the songs are catchy & rarely overstay themselves. Album highlights include Betrayed, Apocalyptic Dreams & title track are all really nicely done.
I am still waiting for Jack to write that "one" album that kicks us all up a notch, but this is as close as it gets....if you listen to this with an open mind & like Jack Frost's work you should enjoy this one.

Seven Witches had a very solid lineup in place for their 2003 album Passage To the Other Side. In addition to band leader Jack Frost (ex-Savatage), former Helstar vocalist James Rivera and Fates Warning's Joey Vera are on board, which should have made this a power metal album to remember. Unfortunately the results fall a bit short.

Don't get me wrong, Passage To the Other Side is a perfectly good power metal album. The songs are well written, the musicianship is tight, and Rivera's vocals are excellent as always. It's just not anything spectacular. I use the term "solid" a lot for an album like this. There's nothing really wrong with it, but it doesn't stick in your head like a Blind Guardian or Gamma Ray album will, and you know you're not going to be talking about it years later, like you would with a Judas Priest or Iron Maiden album. And it says a lot that the album's major highlight is a cover of Def Leppard's "Wasted".

If you have an insatiable appetite for power metal, or are a fan of one or more of the players involved, then by all means pick this album up. It's a very professional, very hard rocking, old school metal album. Just don't expect to be blown away by it.

Wow...a power metal band with the aggresivness of fight. Rob himself would have to admit the carring of a tradition. If your old school and like more than a sweaty mosh pit groove this stuff is on the mark.

Your A** WILL be Kicked!!!

JRK

This CD isn't bad at all. It's well played, well produced and every song sounds EXACTLY the same. Oh boy!

Seriously, this CD is a delete bin affair of the worst kind. The performances are top notch and the songs are boring as hell. After three listens I simply forgot every song as it left. Blindingly fast, blindingly without purpose.

These musicians obviously have talent, and from time to time this CD makes perfect sense with some catchly melodies or lyrics. But seriously...it's something that history won't bother to remember. It's pandering to their audience which is good I geuss, but those of us on the outside will find nothing new or even fun to look into.

A completely cookie-cutter, paint-by-numbers metal album. I hear absolutely nothing new or interesting here. This isn't the metal you're looking for. You can go about your business. Move along.