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NIGHT TERROR “Return Of The Witches”
NIGHT TERROR “Return Of The Witches”
By Dr. Abner Mality
It’s been many a moon since the name of Jack Frost has crossed my path. I really enjoyed Jack’s SEVEN WITCHES band and some of his solo albums as well as his work with SAVATAGE. NIGHT TERROR is a new project of his that very much follows in the SEVEN WITCHES tradition, which was just pure metal in PRIEST/SAVATAGE/DIO style.
He’s brought some friends along and they are no lightweights, No less than Jason McMaster of WATCHTOWER and DANGEROUS TOYS fame (amongst numerous others) lends his dulcet tones to NIGHT TERROR and Jack couldn’t have got a better singer. He’s even better than past SEVEN WITCHES frontmen like James Rivera and Wade Black, which is saying something. Drums come from veteran Karl Wilcox of DIAMOND HEAD and TANK, driving forces of the NWOBHM while bass is provided by Dennis Hayes from ICED EARTH. An all-star unit to be sure!
And they gel well on “Return of the Witches”. This is not as speed obsessed as most recent “true metal” releases have been and that’s not a detriment. “Dyin’ Days” kicks off with a real bluesy grind, superb clear and high vocals from McMaster and one red hot bitch of a guitar solo from Mr. Frost himself. Off to a good start and “Night Terrors” does kick in with more of a PRIEST-like surge. “Behind The Leaves” and “Natural Destruction” continue the high energy metal without crossing over into speed/power metal territory. “The Remedy Is Poison” starts with a ballad-like flourish, but just when I thought it was going to be a typical heavy ballad, it launches into a punchy anthem with Jason’s best vocals of the album. This guy has never sounded better.
More of a mini-LP than a true album, things end with a faithful cover of UFO’s “Lights Out” that does full honor to the original. Honestly, the only negative point about “Return of the Witches” is that there aren’t three or four more songs. It’s good to see Jack Frost back in action; highly recommended to all SEVEN WITCHES fans!
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