Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
The late Eighties, Boston-based band WICKED WITCH truly was home to an unbelievable ‘Who’s Who’ of musicians, ones that went on to achieve household name recognition.
Just the list of bands that have connections to WICKED WITCH is jaw-droppingly impressive, it includes Metal Church, Savatage, Circle II Circle, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Doctor Butcher, Trigger Effect, Hellspeak, Machines Of Grace, and more.
WICKED WITCH formed in 1988, with its best-known lineup comprised of vocalist Zak Stevens, guitarist Matt Leff, bassist Mark Stewart, and drummer Jeff Plate. Between 1889 and 1992, the band played roughly 200 shows and recorded two demos. The first was recorded with Bob St. John (Extreme, Duran Duran, Collective Soul) and the other with Paul David Hager (Van Halen, Devo, Pink).
Radio support for WICKED WITCH was respectable, as were features and write-ups in the metal music-covering magazines at the time. However, the end of the band began when members began receiving outside offers, Zak Stevens and Jeff Plate were the first to exit, both eventually joining Savatage.
Matt Leff then put together the band Trigger Effect and would later rejoin former WICKED WITCH band mates Stevens and Plate in the band Machines Of Grace. All of the members have stayed active in music in the years and decades since the short-lived WICKED WITCH cast its metallic spell.
Yet, the band’s story will not end there it seems. Just this past week, 20th Century Music, known for their reissues and rarities, has announced the April 27th release of WICKED WITCH‘s ‘Wicked Witch Of Boston‘ album.
Tracklist:
Fly Away
Rainbow’s End
Love Lies
Live And Let Live
Danger Game
Love Teacher
Lost In Confusion
Soul To Fire
This Time
Breakdown
Just A Game
The Moment
Midnight Rain
According to the promotional poster (below), the album contains “unreleased songs and extras”. There will be a limited number of copies available and the first 100 orders come with a guitar pick replica and a 16-page booklet with liner notes by guitarist Matt Leff, and lots of never-before-seen photos.
Pre-order the Wicked Witch Of Boston album at this location.
