Tracklist:
01. Liberty
02. End Of The Road
03. Through The Mirror
04. Freedom Call
05. Countdown
06. Forest Majesty
07. Spread Your Wings
08. Fires And Storms
09. Return To The Past
Country: Denmark/Sweden
Genre: Power Metal
Label: Nightmare Records
Released: November 23:d, 2010
Website: http://www.myspace.com/seventhorns
Line-up:
Erik 'EZ' Blomkvist - vocals
Gabriel Tuxen - guitars
Christian Balslev Strøjer - guitars
Nicolaj Marker - bass
Asger W. Nielsen - keyboards
Lars 'Laske' Borup - drums
Let me be honest here. I love power metal, especially the kind perfected by bands like Helloween, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius and Edguy. It seems this kind of power metal with its fist-in-the-air, sing-along-friendly choruses and blisteringly triumphant instrumental skills, as opposed to the more ‘raw’ American brand, is a predominantly European phenomenon, although naturally there are exceptions. It should come as no suprise then, that Danish power metallers Seven Thorns (previously 7thorns), release an album very much in the vein of aforementioned bands and most certainly worthy of similar accolade.
I first came across these guys by way of their debut album Glow of Dawn, somewhere around 2007 or thereabouts. Now this albums is regarded by the band as ‘a lost album’ that is more or less unofficial. I have a very solid copy obtained from the band back then that says differently, however. Since then, more or less the entire band – with the exception of the drummer – has been replaced, so Return To The Past is, for all intents and purposes, a rebirth.
Yet the band has done no more than polish their already pretty obvious power metal roots, improved the songwriting somewhat, switched the soloing up a notch, got themselves a fittingly meaty production ( with mastering courtesy of Tommy Hansen). Come to think of it, that’s pretty impressive as it stands.
What I love about this band is that they play with such a passion for the genre in which they work. There is no mistaking their influences, but at the same time they have what it takes to make a name for themselves. They have two relatively young guitarists who play with such a dedication and passion, firing away one blazing solo after the other (giving the already sweet guest solo courtesy of Olaf Lenk (At Vance) serious competition), they have a competent rhythm section, providing a solid base for the excessive (but oh so fun) guitar work, and they have a singer in Erik ‘EZ’ Blomkvist (Platitude) who has a smooth, somewhat rougher voice than what is normal for this type of music, yet one which carries the vocal melodies with gusto and is, in short, very suited to the tunes on display. Although I liked previous vocalist Tomas as well, his was a more classical rock voice, if you will, and Blomkvist’s pipes are just a notch more suited to what this band has to offer.
All of this would amount to nothing, however, if the songs didn’t cut the mustard. I’m happy to tell you they do. Of course they do. Two songs deserve special mention: Opening cut ”Liberty” (on which the aforementioned Mr. Lenk delivers a smoking guitar solo), a song I knew I would love as soon as I heard the sample the first time. An up-tempo so catchy it’s not even funny. The glorious chorus hits you like a fist between the eyes. I don’t know how many times I’ve played this track already. It’s like crack. ”Forest Majesty” is also a pretty anthemic affair, lyrically delving into the need for solitude and rest when times get rough. Two other songs worthy of mention are ”End Of The Road” and ”Countdown”, and although the album is pretty solid overall, the mentioned songs would be my favorites.
These guys have not reinvented the wheel or anything, nor will they go on to become superstars, but sometimes all you need is something done with conviction, and here they’ve succeeded. The only thing I don’t like about this album is the cover. Music this good deserves a prettier presentation. This is only nitpicking, of course. For lovers of (the European kind of) power metal, this is a no-brainer, really. Well worth a spin for the rest of you too, come to think of it.
(originally published on cronopio.se January 11:th, 2011)
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