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Band Name: Seven Witches
Album Name: Amped
Rating: 3.5 / 5 User Rating: 4.3 / 5
Label: Candlelight Records
Buy Album: Amazon.com
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Tracklist
1. West Nile
2. Sunnydale High
3. Dishonor Killings
4. GP Fix
5. Be
6. Fame Gets You Off
7. Flesh for Fantasy
8. Red
9. Widows and Orphans
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Balancing between tough-as-nails, conventional metal riffing with intensely melodic song structure, Seven Witches' 'Amped' gets the job done in terms of variety, performance and execution. With two new members in the fold, vocalist Alan Tecchio and bassist Kevin Bolembach, the band does indeed sound revitalized on tracks like 'West Nile', which boasts thrash underpinnings comparable to Annihilator as well as on the driving first single 'Sunnydale High', a cut which owes as much to the sleazy grooves of Ratt as it does to more traditional power metal outfits like Judas Priest.
Although it is a stretch to describe axe-slinger Jack Frost as being among the shredder elite, the guitarist does pull off enough acrobatic, blazing runs to keep things interesting and handles his instrument more capably than the majority of new-jack guitar god hopefuls in the scene today. In terms of creativity, Frost displays ample diversity to hold the attention of listeners. As he alternates between popular metal styles, the guitarist plays with a lot of spirit in addition to mechanical aptitude. Unlikely as it may be that he'll become your favorite guitarist overnight, his performance on 'Amped' makes the record well worth checking out for metal guitar devotees.
Alan Tecchio, meanwhile, seems right at home in this group. He's able to open up his voice to do many different things. 'Dishonor Killings' finds the singer taking on a vocal personality that's reminiscent of Eric A.K., particularly in the instances of vocal doubling during the track. This form of vocal approach is pretty scarce in metal these days, so it makes the record stand out a bit. The addition of Tecchio and his Non-Fiction bandmate Bolembach has certainly strengthened this line-up immeasurably. 'Be' brings further dynamic resilience to the album, a grim power ballad that is at once yearning and forlorn.
In closing things out with the dramatic 'Widows And Orphans', the band pays homage to Iron Maiden and Armored Saint. As dated as these references sound, they are nonetheless solid building blocks for what is one of the best tracks that we have heard from Seven Witches to date. Having an excellent cut such as this as the album's closer succeeds in causing the listener to want to hear more from the band.
Depending on your viewpoint, Seven Witches' cover of 'Flesh For Fantasy' either enhances the cheese factor or is an unexpected twist on the popular Billy Idol original. It is during such moments that it becomes difficult to discern exactly what the group is getting at.
Certainly, some fans are going to mention that the approach that the band is taking on this record is nothing that has not been attempted in the past. Even so, Seven Witches are genuinely convincing throughout the majority of the album and there is enough diversity and pure headbanging fun to recommend this album that are interested in a purer, unadulterated form of classic metal stylization.
Review by: EF
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