Brazilians DARK WITCH are a long established band, having originated over fifteen years ago. Influenced heavily by the traditional Heavy Metal sound of the '70s and '80s, primarily titans like IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and GRAVE DIGGER, the band have released a few demos over the years, but it isn't until now that they've been able to release their debut full length album, "The Circle Of Blood".

From the moment that the record kicks off with the title track, it's obvious that DARK WITCH also have some Power Metal influences in their sound, beyond just the lyrical themes, with their style sometimes comparable to the likes of, say, HAMMERFALL or BLOODBOUND. The vocal performance of Bil Martins is clean and strong, riffs and rhythms are powerful, and the result is the desire to unsheathe your sword and hold it on high!

Throughout the record, and as you'd expect from a band that blend traditional Heavy and Power Metal together, choruses are always energetic, sound big and are worthy of singing along with! Guitar work is constantly solid and reliable, with well placed and well written solos and sections of interplay between the guitars of Cesar Antunha and Décio Andolini. There's also a certain level of maturity noticeable in DARK WITCH's sound too, which stops the record descending into overly cheesy territory, and is a nice reflection of their considerable years spent as a band.

While all the tracks feel powerful and bombastic, "The Circle Of Blood" just seems to lack that little something that makes it feel special as an album - it's difficult to put your finger on really. The record is rather lengthy, which does cause it to drag and lull slightly, but this could be the result of the band wanting to show as much as possible for their many years of hard work and, to be fair, is a problem that any similar band would face with an album that breaches the hour barrier.

Overall, DARK WITCH are clearly a band that are capable of delivering some heavy yet powerful and catchy metal. No song on "The Circle Of Blood" screams "filler!", but equally, it's hard to pick any real stand out track, and so, it's an album you'd most likely enjoy while listening to, but not go back to overly often.