A year and a half ago, the very good 'Emerald Seas' was released and the Americans of 'Seven Spires' who had planned to present it in concert in 2020 quickly fell apart with this damn virus which gave a clear stop to any concert. But they started composing again and 'Gods of Debauchery', the little brother of 'Emerald Seas' was released at the beginning of September and the least we can say is that this new album is rich in quantity and quality because there are nearly 80 minutes for 16 tracks that offer themselves to us with varied compositions because they have this talent to mix different styles of metal as I had already mentioned for the previous album.
The instrumental 'Wanderer's Prayer', which starts the opus, slowly builds up to introduce 'Gods of Debauchery' (see video here) which gets us straight into the swing of things, with an extraordinary outpouring of energy, 'Adrienne Cowan' using her extreme vocals with incisive growls from the start. The Cursed Muse', which follows, is not to be outdone but brings a marked symphonic side with a memorable chorus sung this time in clear voice while keeping a death face in the fast parts. For metal fans who don't particularly like extreme vocals, I advise you to persevere in listening to this album because the two previous compositions are not representative of the whole album: witness the following tracks, firstly, 'Ghost Of Yesterday' which is in a much more measured symphonic style, with catchy melodic lines that you immediately take in and then the mid-tempo 'Lightbringer' which has a new memorable melody in a more rock than metal atmosphere, followed by 'Echoes of Eternity' which is closer to a symphonic and melodic metal reminding me of 'Stream Of Passion'. In the following tracks, Adrienne continues to alternate her extreme and clean vocals in more or less energetic atmospheres, and we can mention 'Shadow on an Endless Sea' which is the perfect example of the use of both voices making it one of the highlights of the album but also the catchy 'Dare To Live' (see video here) or the powerful 'Gods Amongst Men' reminding with its backing vocals the Dutch of 'Epica' or even 'Dreamchaser' and its imposing rhythm section. In the middle of the album, 'This God is Dead' unfolds its 10 minutes in an epic symphonic atmosphere with a succession of intensity and rhythm changes and always very catchy melodic lines which makes it a perfect summary of the style of 'Seven Spires' and the flagship track of the album. And when the tempo slows down, 'Seven Spires' offers us power ballads with the powerful 'In Sickness, In Health' or 'The Unforgotten Name' (see video here), both in a slow tempo but accompanied by an unleashed rhythm section in places. With 'Oceans of Time' we return to a more classical symphonic metal but still very catchy with a driving rhythm section and the end of the album offers us two epic symphonic compositions with, first of all, 'Through Lifetimes' which deploys remarkable instrumental and vocal arrangements, then 'Fall With Me' concludes the album with a magnificent ballad that builds up gradually and whose melody doesn't leave you any more.
In summary, the Americans of 'Seven Spires' release an excellent album that confirms their talent for a diverse metal mixing different influences and 'Gods of Debauchery' should appeal to a metal audience that likes an energetic symphonic metal with a singer who alternates clear vocals and extreme vocals... | |
