Seven Gates - The Good and the Evil
Seven Gates is a power metal band from Italy and was formed in 1999. In 2005 the band recorded this album The Good an the Evil. But caused of problems with the record label and some changes of members it took til October 2009 to publish this second album while the band is ready to work out the 3rd one.
„Message to the stars“ starts with a short key part before the guitar leads and keyboards set in. Frederico Puleri perform his vocals real high. Remembers to some other italian bands like Rhapsody or the german Gamma Ray. In the middle the song shows a computering sound collage before the real fast played guitars lead to a slower vocal part underlined with acoustic guitars. After this an awesome melodic guitar solo appears before the guitars and keyboards fight. The refrain ends the song. The evil opens the next track. „Vengeance“ is rougher in vocals. Again a fast song. By the way....the guitar duo Moroni and Vitali do a great job. This song has a Helloween touch at their Walls of Jericho time. Keyboards are more in the background here and the refrain is not to sing with, it is more to listen to. A melancholy keyboard intro in „I don't believe“. Piano and silent vocals tells us this will be a ballad. But not...after a minute the song changes to a midtempo rocker. Some synthies appear and the refrain tells us that he doesn't believe no more. Why not? This song has a lot of different breaks in it. Even a keyboard part like old Domain. The vocals are good but for me not strong enough in the refrain. And the high performance in the end sounds a little strange. A nice trademark is the synthie pieces that appear sometimes in the music of Seven Gates. Gives the songs a fresh touch and a bit unique. Fast played drums and guitars open up in „The Dragon' Kiss“. The vocals starting high and getting higher. Wondering if Puleri can keep this height live on stage. Anyway, a song in the tradition of speedful Rhapsody songs. A wonderful guitar part in the middle of the song flows to a keyboard line. Various guitar arrangements and some darker performed vocals round up this movement between speed and midtempo. The second part of this song is better than the first. Good guitar hookline in the beginning of „Ride the wild“. In the refrain Puleri is screaming very high. Some elements in this song remembers me to Progressive Rock or ProgMetal bands. Good drum performance of Lorenzo Innocenti. „Freedom“ is galopping with keys and guitars. The first song with stronger backing vocals like before. This song has a great hymn character. Would say that this will be a good live song. And this is a real keyboard song. A terrific performance by keyboard wizard Fabrizio Marnik. Synthesizers open „Cry of Efestus“. Short spoken words and then the song moves to a speed up. Classical instrumentation underlines again the near to Rhapsody. A guitar and key intermezzo in the middle. Don't know if some parts of this song are borrowed from classical composers but this is technique well played. Piano ends the song. A powerful guitar riff starts „Honour and pride“. The vocals are more shouted again. A funny guitar and key solo makes me smile. We can name Stratovarius as influence for that song, cause of the vocals and song structure. „17“ is more a happy song in the tradition of Helloween. A great refrain to sing with. The instruments do the rhythm, not much breaks and leads, except the guitar solo. Less keys in that song makes it more straight and rockin. Coming up is the last song „Burning clouds“. Again starting with computerized synths that lead to power riffing with harmony vocals. Synth elements and whispered vocals in the middle lead to the guitar and key solo. The end of this song and so the end of this album is a little bit too unspectacular for me.
Sure...Seven Gates are influenced by several italian and other power metal bands. Their sound reaches from the 80's to modern times. But for me the keyboards, snythies and computer effects lean the band their own trademark. So the band doesn't sound suitable, the bring some fresh elements into the music scene.
If they improve their songwriting more to their own style we will here much more from Seven Gates in the future.
Points: 7/10
review by Kerb
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