Become

When I first heard Seventh Wonder, I remarked at how refreshing it was to hear a band that wasn't complete and total garbage, as I had been hearing a lot of that at the time, searching this very site for bands all over the world. The intruiging thing about them is not the little shreddy solos or intricate break riffs, but rather that they are unique. I can't think of a single band that I closely associate them with, as they are their own entity. This album (being their debut full-length album) was remarkable, since most bands tend to emulate their influences for an album or two and then somewhere along the way pick up a personality and write their own stuff. But Seventh Wonder skipped the immaturity of pure emulation and channeled their influences into being only influences to the greater creative whole of the original composition. Needless to say, they're off to a good start, but they're not going to be the next Symphony X or Dream Theater without continuing to develop their creativity and compositional methods.

The album is, of course, a wonderful addition to any progressive-metaller's library, just as the aforementioned bands (and potential influences). While the album is unique, it is at times a little bland and lacking in energy, but it has a very unified and desirable sound. Overall, the tone of the album is rather light compared to many metal bands. For instance, "Temple in the Storm" is extremely light-hearted and inspirational compared to the average metal piece. That does not hold for the entire album, however; tracks such as "Like Him" and "The Damned" are faster and more aggressive, showcasing more technical skill but still artistic taste and talent. "Blinding My Eyes," though containing one of the cheesiest of all choral introductions, contains one of the catchiest interludes on the entire album that demonstrate the same technical skill.

As I've said already, the problem with this album is that it lacks feeling and emotion (something one doesn't often associate with metal, since one doesn't often take into consideration that metal is a form of music, which is a form of expression; therefore, metal should be expressive and not mindless technical passages riddled with grunting). Though the vocalist, Tommy Karevik, clearly demonstrates a passion for and through the music, he sometimes comes off as too mechanical. It is not something a little vibrato will cure, either--it is only a problem of delivery, something that a singer must perfect of the course of his career. Also, for a metal band, his vocals can often be a little to clean. Granted, they fit quite well with atmosphere of the music around them, but there are times when I personally would have liked to have heard some gravel in his throat. The guitars and basses (Johan Liefvendahl and Andreas Blomqvist, respectively) do an excellent job as far as playing emotively. For the most part, they use just the right amount of effects in all the right places, even though the more technical passages can sometimes seem forced or ground into precision when a a little precision could have been sacrificed for some emotive playing. The keyboards (myself being a guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist) come off a little flat on this album. Whenever featured, they take no liberties, but perform the music in too rigid a manner. No doubt the keyboardist, Andreas Söderin, is skilled, talented, and fully capable of playing with the emotion that he leaves to be desired on this album. That is why it is a bit disappointing to hear rather uninteresting keyboard parts. The drums pull it all together, and I cannot stress the exactness with which Seventh Wonder is prone to performing with, especially the drummer--Johnny Sandin. It does not bother me one bit that the album is so exact. In fact, I enjoy it, because it shows a degree of musical maturity that eludes many metal bands.

Overall, this album is solid and completely worth delving into. It is full, unique, mostly emotive, and powerfully melodic. The writing abilities displayed on this album are quite incredible, to say the least. There is no doubt in my mind that this album would be a must-have. If you're searching for a good progressive metal band that's not all tritones and amelodic forced grunting, then look no further. This album has well-written and well-executed melodic and orchestrated themes as well as powerful metallic riffs placed strategically throughout. So prepare for one of the greatest rising progressive/power metal bands I've heard in a long time. They're well worth whatever you have to go through to get the album.