Dance with the Devil

Out of Switzerland comes Burning Witches, a band who has proven themselves to be prolific and has come out with their third album in as many years, titled Dance with the Devil, and with a new vocalist and new guitarist, I figure the third time has to be the charm, am I right?

Well, maybe. What I have heard has been good, but it just doesn't have the power or intensity that I expect from a band like the Witches. This is first apparent with the title track. There's a lot of respectable classic influences in this guitarwork, most notably bands like Nazareth and Warlock which is very much to its benefit and I love the drum sound on this album, it's well timed, mid-range power and intense when it needs to. The keyboard work on the title track also works rather well, it's a step up from their previous efforts. These women know their stuff and it's showing while the bass line is playing in a secondary role and only seems to step up when the band tries to sound like it's Halloween every day.

Where though did this go wrong? Sometimes when a band like this screeches to sound evil, like on Six Feet Underground I feel like that kind of sound is better reserved for black metal or black/power hybrids like The Lightbringer and the new singer, Laura Guldemond knows her range, and does well to keep into it, but she rarely tries to hit those higher notes without trying to sound evil in the same way as a band like Snow White's Poison Bite. In a genre that includes King Diamond and Rob Zombie, it would take a lot to truly sound evil in this genre and most people that want to hear something truly evil will be let down.

The other thing that annoys me about this band is the insane amount of untapped potential. I feel with a little more cohesion, this band could shine like a diamond and get 100% reviews across the board. Instead we get songs like The Sisters of Fate which sounds decent but much like the complaint I have with Dragonforce, synergy is important, and there is practically none with the Witches. Once they figure out what makes them awesome, their next few albums will be absolutely electric. 52 minutes later, I'm hardly remembering the opening track.

In conclusion, Dance With the Devil is a clear improvement on a band that has the potential to ride the wave of awesomeness to super-stardom but they just need to bring it all together and on this album, it just wasn't there. The next time will be the charm, I am certain of it. You're almost there, Witches, GO FOR IT NEXT TIME.