Artist : Seven Spires

Album : Emerald Seas

Release Date : 14-02-2020

Added : 13-03-2020

Album of the playlist 2020 : Metal symphonic albums of the year

After a very promising 'Solveig' in 2017, released thanks to crowdfunding (see chronicle myprogmusic here), the Americans of 'Seven Spires' release their second studio recording and the least that the we can say is that the palette presented in 'Emerald Seas' is relatively wide because we navigate in all styles of metal and even some titles flirt with melodic rock or even classical music. And if we add to that that the singer 'Adrienne Cowan', in addition to being a keyboard player, is a bit of a Swiss knife of metal vocal that knows how to adapt to all styles and that the other members of the group are all musicians talented, we keep a group capable of great prowess because this 'Emerald Seas' is worth the detour for all those who love diversity in metal. Note that 'Adrienne Cowan' participated in the last tour of the project 'Avantasia' of 'Tobias Sammet' in 2019 for the release of 'Moonglow' which is generally a good calling card in the metal world because we know that Tobias knows how to surround himself with talented artists.

The album begins with the short 'Igne Defendit' which could be the introduction of a classic opera, but 'Ghost of Dream' which follows, takes up the theme a little more muscular and lets us discover a melody which borrows from Andalusian music with Oriental influences and 'Adrienne Cowan' offers us a register in clear song very wise until the last second which ends with some chords in which Adrienne sends us some very aggressive growls. With 'No Words Exchanged', the arrangements with strings juxtaposed with saturated guitar riffs work perfectly and it is a delicious mixture between a pop melody that they would have metalized and 'Every Crest' continues in a mixture between power metal and symphonic metal with a very expressive melody which recalls the style of American musicals. Without transition, 'Unmapped Darkness' is the melodic hit of the album whose chorus is immediately embedded in your head and, it is in this title that 'Adrienne Cowan' offers us the two vocal facets, first of all a Quite classic clear song and a song based on growls which they know how to dose very well without adding too much, then, 'Succomb' is another melodic gem in a fairly classic symphonic metal. It is with the following four titles that we have the biggest gap of the album with the two magnificent power ballads 'Silvery Moon' and 'Bury Me' which are sandwiched between the epic 'Drower of Worlds' and the energetic 'Fearless' in which Adrienne uses her extreme voice in a style combining symphonic and black metal. The end of the album scrolls through the very short serenade 'With Love from the Other Side' then 'The Trouble with Eternal Life', very contrasted with a very calm introduction, which continues with a frenzied rhythm in a fairly symphonic metal style classical and a new heady melody, then the instrumental 'Emerald Seas' which continues the theme of the previous title and ends the album as it had started in a classical symphonic atmosphere.

In summary, at the same time as the release of the last 'Diabulus In Musica' (see here) and the last 'Delain' (see here), the 2020 year has started beautifuly for symphonic metal and it is not this second album by the Americans of 'Seven Spires' that could say the opposite because 'Emerald Seas' is a total success which should please fans of symphonic metal who like styles as distant as classical music and symphonic black...

Line Up / Musicians

Adrienne Cowan – (Vocal, Keybords), Jack Kosto (Guitar), Peter Albert de Reyna (Bass), Chris Dovas (Drums)