After a six year hiatus the power/speed metal band WITCHUNTER is back with their third full length studio release of "Metal Dream" on Dying Victims Productions available November 18, 2022. Formed  in the Abruzzo region of central Italy in 2007 and debuting with "Crystal Demons" in 2010 and "Back on the Hunt" in 2016, while drawing favorable comparisons to TYGERS OF PAN TANG, ANGEL WITCH, SAXON, and RIOT. The album was born from the bands continuous desire to play together with the right anger, from their deep friendship and from the infinite passion towards heavy metal and exorcise problems and some of the boring aspects of life, and WITCHUNTER lives by their self-proclaimed motto: "We are metalheads who play for metalheads. The albums that accompany our everyday life, the underground scene... high volume, spikes, leather, blood and getting out of control is how we live music and how we want to continue living it. Until the end." Wow, love it and may have to get that tattooed on my arm.

The album opens with a brief one-minute guitar laden instrumental leading into a traditional speed metal, cord heavy track "Metal Dream", a good opening number with lighting riffs and high, piercing vocals. Digging much deeper and heavier on "Black Horror", with nasty and menacing vocals accompanied with skull crushing riffs, a real old-school hard-core metal head banger and downright scary lyrics: "City of macabre memories Festering horror of the ancient town Grey stones walls covered in blood Hold the forbidden secret of the changeless Legend haunted places of my crouched existence  Childish cries in the distance Sinister scurrying of sharp toothed rats" Great, now I've have to get that tattooed on my other arm.

I know it's only been two songs, but I personally feel they are better suited to deliver pounding, in your face metal over speed, especially vocally as proven on the next three tracks, "Rolling Queen" and "Devil Preacher", where Di Leo reaches his limits of high-pitched shrieks, that, despite some really good rocking, blasting speed riffs and drum tempo, leave me longing for more, but come back forcefully on "Legion" with emphatic fashion and a mighty bombardment of brain freezing hard core metal. The album ends on a tasty rocker "Hold Back the Flame", with dichotomy of hardcore vocals and powerful riffs finishing with a kick ass guitar solo.

I guess "Metal Dream" leaves me a little unfulfilled. This could have been an incredible album if they would have stayed with their strength of power and traditional assaulting metal. They have all the right elements in place to take it to the next level, once they realize which band they want to be.