SEVENTH WONDER

The album stars with "Wiseman" which itself consists of all the elements covered in this album. It starts with epic intro and fast riffs and also changes to a ballad during the later part with great solo in between them. It lays solid foundation to the rest of the album.

"Alley cat", the most popular Seventh wonder song follows. Is starts of with a descent rock- pop like riff but what follows is truly masterclass in song writting. The song contains truly amazing synchronization between keyboards abd guitar licks and the vocals are just truly outstanding.Tommy has enough catchy lines in the song and you won't notice 6 minutes flying by you.

"Angelmaker" is the third song of the album and it keeps you up for what's next to come. It starts in a very melodic fashion and gradually picks up the pace and builds up to a heavy and fast paced riffs and ends with a very catchy riff.

The best moment of the album follows with the "King of whitewater". It starts with a slow melodic piano intro and then again slowly rises its tempo. It contains lots of catchy lines with awesome music behind it and vocals again is just magnificient in fact I think this is the best vocal performance in whole seventh wonder career. Hats off to Tommy Karevik again.

A pure ballad in "Long way home" follows and is great in its own way,and "Move on through" is again a descent song with the similar formula of the album,with lots of catchy lines suppoerted by great keyboard licks and great guitar solo in between. The epic "The Great escape" is next in line and this song just leaves me starstruck everytime I hear the song. It takes half an hour of the album. The start with the slow section of the song is truly inspiring and then epic sonding section comes.

Overall this is a must have album if you are a fan of progressive metal!

Yes Siree Bob, this is metal with pop flavor; smiling heavy music. Like Mind's Eye, A.C.T. or Andromeda, this album contains certified metal licks with a boy's band coating. Also, you'll find lyrics that includes heavy use of words like: 'life', 'fire', 'die' and 'forever'.

Hey, Yngwie Malmsteen called, he wants his poems back.

Enough tomfoolery. If the cheese contained in this record could solve world hunger, why giving it a spin?

The melodies are to die for. Really. The hooks are big and frequent, enough to hum it later in your car. The songs are fast and direct, leaning towards neo-classical at times. Think A.C.T. 's catchyness mixed with Andromeda's musical prowness and topped with Shadow Gallery cherries. My hat goes to the bassman who doubles the solos with the guitar a la John Myung. It's HARD to shred the bass. Really, I tried and failed. But kudos to Blomqvist who proves that it can be done many times in a single song.

It's a guilty pleasure for me, I admit. It has not the raffinement (french) of Dream Theater nor the creativity. It could raise your wife's eyebrow, thinking that Bon Jovi is going progressive. But I will not hide that they have a talent to make complex music accessible to others.

Who wouldn't want to cry the word 'Forever!!' at the top of their lungs dressed in black? I know I would.

I got to know this swedish band thanks to a fellow prog-metalhead (friend of mine) that recommended them to me in 2009. So after that, I picked up their first record.

According to what I was able to research, 'Seventh Wonder' have been around the swedish scene since 2000 aprox., but it wasn't until 2005 that they could self-produce their first full-lenght. The first album from prog-metallers 'Seventh Wonder', coming from the landscape that Sweden is, you'll probably know that these guys have something to offer.

'Become', it's a straightforward power metal release, full of catchy hymns, but with obvious progressive elements. While there is no surprise or 'nothing new' in the songs, one can still grasp the fact that these guys are top notch musicians, particularly, Andreas Blomqvist (bass/main composer) is the one with the most talent here, his playing is fantastic, and his bass lines/solos are mindblowing, just hear the fabulous 'In The Blink Of An Eye', full with bass prowess. The production is not the best in 'Become', but you can still hear that the guitar playing does a good job in bringing the virtuosism/shred to the songs, Johan Liefvendahl it's clearly an excellent guitar player, and he demonstrates that with his solos. The keyboards sound is a little off in the songs (the production and mastering wasn't the best in this aspect), nevertheless, Andreas Söderin it's a nice player, although I would love to hear more choirs and synths in certain songs, he leaves too much to be desired. The drums by Johnny Sandin are good in this album, although his best effort can be found in the upcoming albums, so his playing in this album pales in comparison to his other work (especially 'Mercy Falls' which is by far their best album). The weakest member in 'Become' it's Andi Kravljaca, his vocal range it's too limited for this kind of music, and his voice is too soft, especially in songs with catchy chorus, where the voice should play a major role. He is still a decent vocalist, and has a recognizable voice, but it doesn't fit at all with the instrumental work. I'm glad 'Seventh Wonder' found Tommy Karevik, which is one of my favourite prog metal vocalists, with his crystal clear voice.

The highlights in 'Become' are: 'In The Blink Of An Eye', 'What I've Become', 'Temple In The Storm'.

'Become' it's a solid album, but it doesn't contain any surprises, and the prog elements are predictable, but it's still clear that these guys have talent. The well-written melodic hooks and the compositional work shows us that 'Seventh Wonder' were a diamond in the rough, a diamond that now, fully shines with their next releases.

The musicianship is absolutely top-notch (particularly bass and guitar), the vocalist is arguably the best in prog-metal today, the songwriting is nicely complex, yet has gorgeous melodies that crawl into your head and will have you humming or singing them days later ("King of Whitewater" in particular).

Probably the one thing that sets Seventh Wonder above most other excellent progmetal bands is singer Tommy Karavek. He has a wonderful, warm, melodic voice, fantastic range, and writes some of the best vocal melodies I've heard. His control over his voice is nothing short of amazing, particularly live (I've seen them twice).

All of the musicians are excellent, but I'll give the nod to Andreas (bass) and Johan (guitar) as the standouts. Andreas is without doubt one of the best in progmetal, going back and forth between "bass as a rhythm instrument" and "bass as a lead instrument" with perfect taste and incredible chops.

The lyrics are overall very good, the highlight being the title track, "The Great Escape" (based on the epic poem "Ariana" by a Swedish author who won the Nobel Prize for literature for it in the 1950s).

Their previous two CDs ("Waiting in the Wings" and "Mercy Falls") are also phenomenal, but since each CD is getting better than the previous one, I can't wait for the next one!!

By way of comparison, other bands I love include: Yes, Redemption, Rush, Haken, Porcupine Tree, Enchant, Symphony X, Dream Theater, Marillion, Conception, Ark, Jethro Tull, Pain of Salvation, Alter Bridge, and Queen, among many, many others.

Mercy Falls is a concept album, the plot of which is a little mysterious. I will tell you what I know: at the beginning of the album, there is a car accident. We find out that the male in the car accident is in the hospital in a coma, and his wife and son visit him at different stages in the album. His father also comes to visit him at one point. The album goes back and forth between these visits in the real world, and some sort of dream world the man is in, called Mercy Falls, where he becomes part of the community and helps out during a storm. In the real world, they try a bone marrow transplant from the man's son, but it doesn't work. In the end, the wife says her final goodbye, and decides to turn off the mans life support. The truth is finally revealed to us, and while passing into the afterlife, the man remembers that the wife had an affair and that the man's son was not actually his (thus the reason the transplant didn't work). The last song is called the Black Parade, and I'm not sure but think it is the man's passing into the afterlife. Whatever the plot, the music takes the listener through a roller-coaster of emotions and helps to fill the plot with mystery.

"Wiseman" kicks the album off on a bang, with speed-riffing guitars and grand, cinematic synths immediately establishing an epic mood. It also soon becomes apparent that Seventh Wonder has retained from their previous album their excellent ear for melodic, sweeping, power-metal-esque vocal lines. However, it appears that this album represents another step in an even proggier direction than on their previous effort, Mercy Falls. Rhythmically complex riffs and loads of mini-solos from both guitar and synthesizer ensure that any fan of this classic style of progressive metal will find plenty to like, and forays into differing sounds such as the quieter interlude towards the end of the track prevent "Wiseman" from sounding like a standard verse-chorus power metal song. No doubt a killer opener.

One of my favorite songs from Seventh Wonder follows this up, as "Alley Cat" begins with a technical yet melodic series of riffs before another excellent vocal line kicks in. Where the song really shines, however, is the chorus. With a main hook that can only be described as "anthemic" and plenty of backing music from grand, sweeping synths and pounding guitars, this is the kind of song that makes you want to stand up and shout along with the lyrics. Per the unspoken requirements of the genre, there's a technically blistering solo in the middle of the track as well, and while that perhaps doesn't excite me as much as it might have once, it's hard not to be impressed by the playing (at least for a relative musical layman such as myself).

"The Angelmaker" begins with a very melodic, slightly melancholy guitar part. When this is augmented with synths and crashing, distorted guitars the track begins to remind one of Symphony X, a similarity that remains as the vocals enter. A little bit heavier and "crunchier" than the first two tracks, there's nonetheless a strong sense of melody throughout, with not one but several excellent melodic hooks prominently used throughout the track. Interestingly, the song shakes up the formula a bit by pairing these hooks with chugging riffs rather than cinematic sweeps, and this change-up works quite well and makes the symphonic synth sections all the more effective when they finally do appear. "The Angelmaker" fills its 8 and a half minutes admirably, never feeling excessively long despite its somewhat standard structure.

"King of Whitewater" again bucks the formula by beginning with a gorgeous solo piano part which is quickly augmented by symphonic orchestration. It's not long before this symphonic melody is overlaid with metal instrumentation, and the song begins in earnest. The vocals are as powerful as they've ever been and the hooks just continue to get better. "King of Whitewater" even features what sounds like a violin solo, lending a strong, albeit brief, folky section.

"Long Way Home" is a more restrained number, featuring a simple but effective piano/vocal duet to begin the track and a much quieter instrumentation for most of the song's duration than the loud and bombastic nature of the first four tracks. I know there are those who aren't the biggest fans of ballad-like songs such as this on progressive metal albums, and I'll admit that the cheese factor is fairly high, but I still really enjoy this song. The pacing is brilliant, ramping up towards the end by adding a degree of heaviness and throwing in some sparse but effective female vocals. Additionally, Seventh Wonder's knack for melody synergizes perfectly with the more melodic nature of this type of song, and as a result the vocals just go into overdrive, with the singer providing some of the most powerful delivery on the album.

"Move on Through" is the final short track on the album before the epic closer. Starting off with a very atmospheric bass and synth part, the track develops into a juxtaposition of slower, almost jazzy verses and a more rhythmically regimented chorus. It's a combination that works very well, and the slightly jazzier playing is a nice break from the mechanical riffs that dominate most of the rest of the album.

It's a testament to the strength of the material here that if the album ended before the closer it would still, in my estimation, be a four star effort. Clearly, though, Seventh Wonder was not content to go halfway. It almost seems unfair that we should be treated to a massive, 30 minute closing epic after the incredible first six tracks. One would almost be inclined to worry that such a closer could detract from the overall strength of the album; that it would inject unneeded filler into an otherwise very tight album.

Fortunately, those fears are unfounded. From the opening strains of acoustic guitar and the delicate vocals that accompany them, it is immediately clear that this song is not going to be anything less than a fantastic journey. This becomes even more apparent as the track's overture of sorts begins, with a variety of orchestral sounds clearly demonstrating that "Symphonic Metal" is more than just metal with strings. A huge variety of melodies and themes make appearances just in this opening 5 minutes section of the track, and by the time vocals come in again the listener is fully prepared for the tour de force that is to follow. A galloping guitar line matched with a slightly western-sounding synth line sets up a sense of adventure and grants the listener a hint of the voyage they are beginning to embark upon. The song hits its first fade-out at about the 10 minute mark, and another solo piano part picks up to begin the second distinct section of the track. Guitars and percussion are re-introduced as one of the best vocal sections on the album begins. Though the impact of the word "epic" has been somewhat diminished by drastic overuse in the last few years, I simply can't think of another way to describe this music.

It's not until about the 17 minute mark that the energy dies down again, and the third section of the track begins with an incredible acoustic guitar and piano part that meshes perfectly with the dramatic vocals it accompanies. The guitar takes a wonderfully emotive solo as well, though it's very brief and more than anything serves as a lead-in to more riffing. At about the 20 minute point the female vocals return, serving again in a very understated role but providing a perfect, subtle foil to the more bombastic, heavier main part of the track. The song moves towards its conclusion with another gorgeous piano/vocal duet before some of the themes from the "overture" are reprised. Everything finally culminates in a final, grand wash of synth before a simple acoustic guitar part closes out the track, giving the song a nice degree of symmetry.

I'm astounded every time I listen through this album because every song sounds like it should be the highlight, and on any other album it probably would be. With this album Seventh Wonder have hit upon that rare vein of inspiration that leaves not a single bad moment in the album's 68 minute run time. I mentioned in my review of Mercy Falls that Seventh Wonder is one of the few bands for whom I can sit through 70 minutes of material without ever even thinking of pressing the skip button, and that is absolutely still the case on The Great Escape. If anything, this album is even tighter. I really can't stress how good every single song is, with the closer especially standing out as one of the best progressive metal epics I've ever heard. I really believe that Seventh Wonder deserves to be thought of as a top-tier prog-metal band and I hope I can hear much more from them in the future.

5/5

Lyrically, "Mercy Falls" is a concept album, and while I generally don't pay too much attention to "stories" of the albums I'm listening to, this one pulled me in. More importantly, however, is the consistent quality of the music. There are some occasional missteps (oft- used voice clips begin to sound out of place after a while), but on the whole this is a very solid album.

The sound of a car crash begins the album before "A New Beginning" introduces some cinematic synths. The whole track has a very introductory kind of feel that sets up a lot of different themes in varying degrees of heaviness, all the while accompanied by soundclips that help to set up the plot, with ambulance noises and speech clips from the "characters" in the story. It's a bit cheesy, certainly, but it's an effective setup, and the incidental music that accompanies the speech is surprisingly good.

"There and Back" is titled as the overture proper, and it begins on a bit more of an energetic note than the more atmospheric opener. A great combination of guitar and synth set a great, symphonic mood, with plenty of the epic hooks that are so pervasive in the power-metal genre. A very effective introduction to the musical feel of the album and a great lead into the first song proper, entitled "Welcome to Mercy Falls." Pounding guitar riffs and a piano line open the track before vocals come in. As with most music in this genre, the vocals are very technically impressive and emotive, with plenty of awesome harmonies and soaring melodies. Though it's not structurally that complex, with a pretty standard verse-chorus- bridge structure, the playing is very impressive, with a guitar/synth solo duel towards the end of the song that awesomely resolves into a single melodic line.

"Unbreakable" comes next, starting off with a great synth solo over solid riffing. The vocal line here is a little more restrained than in "Welcome?" though it's still plenty bombastic. "Unbreakable" definitely has a more proggy feel than just standard power metal, though it does still feature a fairly hook-laden chorus. However, there's a ton of instrumental interplay as well, not to mention a decidedly softer interlude section that features beautiful piano under soaring vocals. The instrumental section that follows has a decidedly cinematic feel, and there's one more brief vocal moment before a guitar solo closes out the track.

"Tears for a Father" is a decidedly softer number, featuring only vocals and acoustic guitar. Despite having some rather corny lyrics, it also manages to be a fairly heartfelt piece that fits in well with the story the album is telling. It's a very short song as well, giving way to "A Day Away" after less than two minutes. This next track I think falls pretty squarely into the power- metal camp, and it has a decidedly hopeful feel that's a nice contrast to the bleakness of much of the album. "Tears for a Son" completes the trifecta of short songs here, featuring another speech clip before another stripped back vocal section, this time featuring keyboards instead of guitar. The lyrics here are similar to "Tears for a Father," managing to convey a lot of genuine emotion despite a bit of cheesiness.

There's a short burst of static before "Paradise" begins. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album, starting with an instrumental introduction that reminds me a lot of Shadow Gallery and a positively anthemic chorus that demands to be played very, very loudly. I can hear a lot of similarities here to power-metal band Serenity, especially in the way that vocal harmonies are used to give the chorus a very powerful, epic effect. "Paradise" is an awesome song, with awesome instrumental interplay between guitars and synths and awe- inspiring vocal lines to match.

"Fall In Line" comes next, beginning with some orchestral synths before a guitar melody line comes in. This in turn leads into some fast and furious riffing, with the synths all the while creating great background orchestration. The guitar throws in a great, emotive solo before the vocals start. For some reason, the vocal delivery (not necessarily the tone) on this track reminds me of Geoff Tate from Queensrÿche. The style is very dramatic and narrative, and the instrumentals continue to be stellar, with multiple guitar and synth solos throughout. There's a nice little instrumental postlude at the end of the track as well that serves as a transition into the next song.

This next song is also the longest, coming in at just under ten minutes. "Break the Silence" starts off on a softer, more melodic note, with only minimal guitar behind gorgeously harmonized vocals. At about the one and a half minute mark the heaviness returns, with the guitar laying down pounding riffs, over which another wonderful guitar solo plays. There's a brief shift back to a more stripped down instrumentation as the vocals re-enter, but it's not long before the full intensity of the track returns. Another guitar solo takes up a good chunk of the middle of the track, and though it's very technically impressive, I do think that sections of it lack the emotion that can take a solo from "impressive" to "spectacular." Luckily, these sections are few and far between, and a softer, more atmospheric instrumental section takes a bit of the edge off and adds some sonic variety. Additionally, a totally different vocal melody towards the end of the track shakes things up and makes the track feel like the prog- metal epic that it is striving to be.

"Hide and Seek" is another of my favorite tracks, beginning with a riff that sounds like Iron Maiden combined with Opeth and only getting better from there. A catchy synth melody sets the tone before the vocals enter. This is another song with a rather cheerful melody, a nice contrast that's highlighted even more by the super-high energy, epic chorus that features some of the most emotive, raw vocals on the entire album. It nearly goes without saying at this point that there are several spectacular solos as well, but they certainly shouldn't be taken for granted.

"Destiny Calls" begins with an intstrumental section that almost sounds like math-metal. At times heavily reminiscent of Dream Theater, this opening section makes great use of multiple time signatures and complex rhythms, and it's probably some of the proggiest music on the album. Though it's not long, this introduction certainly makes an impression, and the vocal section that follows is equally impressive. Melody and technicality combine in the best way to create stirring, epic metal, and a variety of motifs keeps this track feeling probably the most like straight prog-metal, with very little power-metal influence to be found.

"One Last Goodbye" is another relatively soft song, with strummed acoustic chords providing the main instrumentation for the track. Female vocals make a surprising but incredibly effective appearance on this song as well, and though they are only used briefly the effect they provide is very nice. There's some nice orchestration as well, and on top of all of it are the incredible, soaring, emotional vocals. Some possibly ill-advised spoken word clips appear over in the middle of the track, and in my opinion this disrupts the flow a bit. Fortunately, there's a triumphant duet between the male and female vocalist to close out the track, and it ends up being one of the surprise highlights on the album.

"Back In Time" begins with several samples from earlier tracks played over an atmospheric synth part. A similar technique has been used on several Ayreon albums, and it works quite well as a sort of "musical recap" before the final track. Unfortunately, there's another narrative-advancing voice clip used here, and quite frankly it's just not well delivered. It's supposed to be the climax of the story and a major twist, but the delivery is just so corny that it lacks a lot of the emotional punch that it's obviously supposed to have.

Fortunately, "The Black Parade" closes the album on a high note. Almost every line has the kind of epic power-metal hook that makes the genre so enjoyable to listen to. In addition, the playing is positively frenetic, with drums especially going insane on the chorus and keyboards and guitar synergizing perfectly to create atmosphere for the rest of the track. Excellent orchestration and a variety of keyboard sounds round out the track, and a killer guitar solo helps wrap it up before one final vocal section leads into the album's final fade- out.

So, while there are some minor flaws, this is an incredibly solid album for fans who like the power-metal sound in their prog. I usually have trouble staying engaged for the duration of long albums, but while this one comes in at a hefty 74 minutes it really just seems to fly by. Often when listening to power metal I run into the problem of a few songs having hooks I really like and the others just not measuring up, but that is absolutely not a problem here. Every track is almost bursting with epic grandeur, and that makes this a very fun album to listen to. Additionally, though this is something I don't usually say, I would recommend looking the story of the album up, as it is actually fairly compelling if you know what exactly is going on.

Excellent stuff.

4/5

A definite highlight of this album is the 30 minute title track, The Great Escape, a concept song based on the poems 'Aniara' by Swedish Nobel laureate Harry Martinson. It deals with the tragedy of a space ship which, originally bound for Mars with a cargo of surviving colonists from a ravaged and destroyed Earth, is ejected from the solar system and becomes entangled in an existential struggle. The first track 'Wiseman' doubles loosely as a prequel to the events of 'The Great Escape'.

These guys are a jewel in the crown of Progressive Metal and it is truly a shame that they are also one of Prog Rock's best kept secrets.

My initial impressions were of a very talented band that seemed to hold back a little on the technical side and focus instead on incredible melodies and song-writing talent, which really works. Unlike a lot of similar bands I have heard, I can remember a multitude of catchy hooks and melodies, which is a welcome change to a lot of my listening. The band has obviously taken influences from the giants of the genre and I can hear SYMPHONY X, some SHADOW GALLERY and FATES WARNING. I know that's not exactly an inspired list of influences, but itg works really well here. Standout tracks include the melody driven Alley Cat, the excellent King Of Whitewater and the last epic, The Great Escape.

If I had any criticisms, it would be that, having heard their previous album, that this record doesn't tread much new ground, it's more of the same. Which is a good thing, because the music here is excellent, but it would have been nice to see something new here. The last track too, feels a little fragmented, and could have been cut down a good five minutes extra, but overall this is an incredibly solid album from the band, and I wish them success in future endeavors.

It's about this man who is told by his wife that the child she's carrying isn't his, prompting him to get into a car accident resulting in him being in a coma. The highlight of this album for me is the bass playing which is very upfront. Some excellent guitar as well but the keyboards take more of the spotlight. Not a fan of the ballads either.

I do think this is their best album so far and i'm starting to understand why this band gets such acclaim. This just isn't my favourite style of Prog-Metal.