Seven Kingdoms is a band that falls into
the rare category of being an American band that plays a more European style of
power metal. Historically, there haven’t been too many bands from the US that
can keep up with their European or even South American brethren, but Seven
Kingdoms definitely shows a lot of potential with their fourth album “Decennium”.
The defining feature of this band is the wailing of lead vocalist Sabrina
Valentine. Though she can hit some pretty high notes, she switches back and
forth between a more restrained, upper-mid range, and truly powerful
high-pitched vocals. This versatility is best displayed on the album’s lead
track: “Stargazer”, where the verses tend to be tamer, while the choruses are
definitely more energetic. As catchy as the chorus is for this song, its
whoa-oh sections bear an incredibly strong resemblance to Edguy’s in the chorus
of “Sabre & Torch”. Nevertheless, this is a memorable song that gets the
album off to a strong start.
As the album soldiers on, the band shows
that they have some thrashy roots in them. The riffing in “Undying”, for
example, definitely comes from a more aggressive place than you might expect on
a power metal album. Many other tracks display a similar ferocity in their
approach, replicating the feel of some of the heavier tracks on Gamma Ray’s “Land
of the Free” and “Somewhere Out In Space”. Aside from this, Seven Kingdoms
sticks to a lot of techniques that work well in power metal. Their music is
extraordinarily guitar focused, with flashy solos, harmonized guitars, and
plenty of lead melodies. The drumming keeps pace, particularly on the more
upbeat songs where it primarily focuses on quick thrash beats to keep the
energy high.
“Decennium” ultimately works well because
of the band’s strong songwriting. The melodies and riffs are cohesive with
little disjointedness, allowing the vocals to soar. Tracks like “In The Walls”
and “Kingslayer” are easy singalong anthems, and though they might not
necessarily reach the levels of the power metal gods they worship, they’re
incredibly professional sounding. The band could benefit from cutting a track
or two. There isn’t a specifically weak outlier, but Seven Kingdoms is
definitely able to get their point across in a shorter time. Regardless, “Decennium”
is an enjoyable power metal release that shows that American bands can
definitely compete with many of their European counterparts!
Highlights
"Undying"
"In The Walls"
"Kingslayer"
Final Rating
4.1/5 or 82%.
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