Singer 'Tommy Karevik' from 'Kamelot ' has another side project, 'Seventh Wonder', whose latest album 'Tiara' dates from 2018. 2022 sees the release of the 6th album, 'The Testament', with an unchanged line-up, and they continue to offer us varied compositions in an accessible progressive metal, the melodic side having been particularly worked on for this last opus.
And it's by the two singles 'Warriors' (see the video above) and 'The Light' (see the video here) that we start this very beautiful album which highlights energetic and powerful atmospheres with catchy melodic lines, the first offering us a very beautiful guitar solo and the second a very beautiful break in the second part, both benefiting from remarkable vocal performances by 'Tommy Karevik'. First break, 'I Carry the Blame' is a magnificent mid-tempo which develops a new catchy melody on which 'Tomy Karevik' shows that it is in this more moderate style that he knows how to transmit real emotion, then, 'Reflections ' is an instrumental which is more progressive in construction, and which shows all the talent of each artist with a succession of admirable solos. Follows 'The Red River' which further reinforces the progressive side with a more refined construction in which 'Tommy Karevik' adapts his song to the different changes of intensities with always this moving side in the quieter passages and in which 'Johan Liefvendahl' offers a remarkable new guitar solo. As for 'Invincible', it is lighter and more direct with a catchy chorus and the rhythm section remains muscular by bringing the powerful side of metal. Follows 'Mindkiller' which is the typical composition in which 'Seventh Wonders' shows all its know-how with original instrumental parts presenting a succession of breaks, melodic sung sections and a very beautiful guitar solo, then 'Under a Clear Blue Sky ' begins calmly with a few guitar notes and a magnificent accompaniment of the bass, then gains momentum with a driving rhythm and weaves in different melodic sections by offering a long admirable instrumental passage in which the keyboards, the guitar and the bass are return the ball for more than 3 minutes, which makes it, for my part, the major composition of the album. And to end on a high note, the melancholy semi-acoustic ballad 'Elegy', far removed from metal, ends this very beautiful album with a final catchy melody on which 'Tommy Karevik' gratifies us with a final moving vocal performance.
In summary, 'The Testament' is still a great success of 'Seventh Wonders' and still shows all the talent of its frontman 'Tommy Karevik' who offers us, accompanied by talented artists, compositions that are always very accessible thanks to catchy melodic lines; beyond the fans who will undoubtedly be won over by this latest studio recording, 'Seventh Wonders' can be a gateway to all those who want to discover progressive metal... | |
