ChaosAngel There can be no argument. This IS metal, or rather, metal as it was supposed to be.

The formula for Seven Witches seems to be fairly simple. Just take equal parts Priest and Maiden, add a dash of other raw NWoBHM and old-school thrash (of the Anthraxian bent), and serve heated over the fires of Hell. At the hands of these technical (but not sterile, no, never sterile) wizards, this recipe will, indeed, satisfy any fan of classic metal.

This is my first exposure to this band (a fact that fills this one with utter shame), even though they've been at it since 1998. That being said, this one will be investigating their back catalog at my earliest convenience.

All in all, I cannot recommend this album enough for anyone who, like me, enjoys the sonic textures of classic metal done right.

Time Signature Ragnarock...

Genre: power metal con cojones

Seven Witches are often described as a power metal act, and I suppose they could be argued to play US power metal (that is, power metal with more edge and less epicness - and often less cheesiness - than European power metal). It seems to me, however, that Seven Witches draw extensively on traditional heavy metal on this album as well as on other more old school types of metal.

Tracks like "Call Upon the Wicked" and "Raganarock" (the chorus of the latter is awesome, by the way) strike me as being almost motorcycle metal tracks (which doesn't make them any less kick-ass, of course), while other tracks like "Fields of Fire", "Lilith" and "Eyes of Fame" are more reminiscent of early Iced Earth. Other tracks again, such as "Mind Games" and "Harlot of Troy" are all out retro thrash metal tracks (especially, "Harlot of Troy" sounds a but like Motörhead-inspired Metallica-thrash). Those two tracks are, by the way, my favorites. Then we have a track like the ballady "End of Days" which, clocking in at around 9 minutes, is a rather epic affair that offers a lot of interesting and kind of progressive stuff. As this description indicates, there is a lot of variation on this album, but it never loses focus and there is a red thread throughout.

As a fan of old school power metal, old school thrash metal and classic 80s metal, I obviously like this album a lot; now, this is not to say that Seven Witches lack innovativity - it is just that they take all the awesome stuff of thrash metal, power metal and classic metal of the 80s and combine these into ballsy and edgy power metal of the type that I love - and it's totally cheeseless, too.

The level of musicianship is very high, as we are dealing with very talented and experienced musicians here, and all tracks contain massive riffage, solid drumming and classic metal solos galore. Vocalist James Rivera, also known from the legendary power thrash act Helstar, makes use of a classic metal vocal style here, which means very potent and powerful singing with lots of screams and vibrato (much like Tim "Ripper" Owens actually). Younger listeners might find this sort of singing a challenging acquired taste, but it should click with those of us who love classic metal immediately.

"Call Upon the Wicked" delivers potent power metal with roots in classic metal and thrash metal and should appeal to fans of classic US power metal acts like Iced Earth, Metal Church and the like.