SEVENTH STORM

SEVENTH STORM “Maledictus”

By Dr. Abner Mality

A Portuguese band formed by ex-MOONSPELL drummer Mike Gaspar, SEVENTH STORM create a kind of highly melodic metal dealing with cursed pirates that I can describe as pleasant listening and not much more. This is one of those albums that are well played, well produced, even well written to a certain degree, but which just doesn’t move the needle much.

Is it power metal? Close but no cigar. It has a different tone and pace than the cliched peppy Euro power metal that runs along like a calf overdosed on sugar. The songs are fairly long, generally mid-paced and often feature slight touches that give things an “Iberian” or “Mediterranean” sound. I do like the thick and meaty guitar tone, which adds necessary heaviness. The vocals of Rez are similar to the album as a whole...pleasant listening, but not terribly memorable. No growls or snarls here, this is melodic all the way through, and there’s quite a bit of keyboard and acoustic flourish.

Some tracks just seem to run out of gas, with “Inferno Rising” and “My Redemption” being the chief culprits. But others like “Gods of Babylon” and “Seventh” hit the mark well...it’s no coincidence that they are the most energetic and heavy numbers. Hate to overuse that word again, but pleasant melodies pop up, but then kind of wash away. There are three acoustic versions of the track “Saudade” attached as CD extras...why, I cannot say.

That about does it for SEVENTH STORM. Not a bad album at all by any stretch, it just seems to be lacking a certain something to push it over the edge. It’s their first time out...let’s see what the future holds.

ATOMIC FIRE RECORDS

SEVENTH STORM