With twelve years of history and three full-length albums released, London’s Seven Sisters are far from newcomers, yet represent the so-called NWOTHM. Guitarist Graeme Farmer and guitarist/vocalist Kyle McNeill are the only two founding members left, with Gareth Martin (bass) and Sammy Christou (drums) joining for 2021’s Shadow Оf А Fallen Star Pt. 1. The ambitious concept album will now be finally complete with the second part coming at the end of the month.
Taking a bit longer than initially planned, Shadow Of A Fallen Star Pt. 2 consists of four songs, the last of which – a twenty-minute epic masterpiece. Opener Astral Prophecies throws us into a whirlwind of amazing riffs, dual guitar harmonies and the fantastic vocals of McNeill, who has an instantly distinguishable style and timbre. There’s a distinct progressive touch all over, which is also a trademark of Seven Sisters, their songs never sounding stale or ordinary.
Solar Winds is probably the most straightforward “rocker” in the album, and still amazes with the band’s compositional imagination and bravery. Sure, there are a lot of nods and influences from late-era Maiden, but Seven Sisters never abandon the catchiness and punch of the song in favor of prog meanderings. Heart Of The Sun is an absolute, total heavy metal hymn, with otherworldly harmony guitars and a chorus to die for – you have to listen to believe how good it is. The big mistake I made is instantly playing it when it was released as a single just before bedtime and I had to try hard to fall asleep, humming the melody over and over again.
Then we come to the album’s grand finale – Andromeda Descending (A Fallen Star Rises), a heavy-progressive metal epic, crafted in the best tradition of the genre’s giants. Even if the song carries us through different tempos and emptions, it doesn’t in any way sound “patched” or artificially prolonged. It is like a novella, revealing its plot chapter by chapter but grasping your attention and never letting go. The musicianship, I shall stress that again, is stellar. Seven Sisters are demonstrating once again their striking ability to tell stories with music and I am not at all trying to diminish the lyrical concept of this two-part masterpiece.
Seven Sisters are now firmly among the heavy metal elite, releasing their best album so far. However, I am absolutely sure these guys are just scratching the surface of their true potential and are yet to amaze and delight us with their future work.
10/10
Shadow Of A Fallen Star Pt. 2 is out on March 28th and can be pre-ordered from HERE
No comments! Be the first commenter?