Year : 2007 (Napalm Records Reissue 2017)
Style : Heavy Power Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans + Video
Size : 103 mb
Bio:
SEVEN KINGDOMS was formed in Deland, FL in 2007. The band began to play shows, went through all the usual "underground band" ups-and-down; members came and went; numerous local shows; an independently released debut album; etc. Finally, once they had a more solidified lineup, the band signed a management/booking deal with Intromental Worldwide in 2009, which lead to a record deal with Nightmare Records.Shortly after the release of their Nightmare Records debut "Seven Kingdoms" (their second release, but first featuring female vocalist Sabrina Valentine) SEVEN KINGDOMS played the opening party at the very prestigious ProgPower USA and was then handpicked by the legendary German power metal band, Blind Guardian, to open their 2010 North American tour, which saw the band playing in front of tens of thousands of metal fans throughout USA and Canada. This tour gained the band exponential amounts of exposure, to their direct market. SEVEN KINGDOMS went on to play several one off's and smaller tours in 2011 ending with the "Uniting The Powers Of Metal” tour alongside other uprising power metal acts such as Artizan, Creation's End and Widow. The band capped off 2011 signing endorsement deals with Engl Amplification and Warwick Basses / Amps.The First show of 2012 came with a slot on the 70,000 Tons Of Metal Preparty, playing to a packed house at the Grand Central venue in Miami. In May of 2012 the band entered Morrisound Studios to creating a record powerful enough to hang with the best in metal. With legendary producer Jim Morris (Iced Earth, Obituary, JOP, Jag Panzer etc) at the helm and much more experience gained, SEVEN KINGDOMS created their next melodic power thrash opus.Upon completion of the recording of their new album, SEVEN KINGDOMS signed an extension of their deal with Nightmare Records. The Music Video for 'After The Fall' premiered at ProgPower USA on the big screen, directly before the set of Symphony X to a captive crowd. The video went viral for a short period of time, gaining over 400,000+ views on Youtube. The record, titled “The Fire is Mine”, was unleashed on October 9, 2012."The Fire is Mine", was the third offering from Florida's SEVEN KINGDOMS, showing a great solidification in their sound and direction; they amped up every aspect from song writing, vocals to production and live performance. This one goes to eleven on all counts - including the number of tracks! The vocals and beautiful crystalline melodies of Sabrina Valentine are uniquely set in a furious power/thrash metal attack, blended with epic choirs and the occasional beer-chanting of the men of SEVEN KINGDOMS.After the release of 'The Fire Is Mine", SEVEN KINGDOMS hosted their own CD release party at the Deland Rock & Metal Festival, and then played a few supporting shows in Florida with Queensryche, Jon Oliva's Pain and also Firewind. The band was then added to the massive Stratovarius and Amaranthe European tour in 2013, where they were able to break into the European market and play in front of tens of thousands of hungry fans. This tour also included a slot on the prestigious PPM Festival in Belgium where they shared the stage alongside bands like Avantasia, Queensryche, Behemoth, Helloween and Gamma Ray. Upon the return home, SEVEN KINGDOMS set out on a short east coast Canadian and USA Headlining run, their first non-supporting tour. They closed 2013 off with a performance at the Deland Rock & Metal Festival along side Circle II Circle. SEVEN KINGDOMS then headed out for their final European Tour in support of 'The Fire Is Mine' in May/June of 2014. They toured along side their friends in the Danish band, Manticora. SEVEN KINGDOMS then took some time for writing, taking select dates with repeat appearances at the DeLand Rock & Metal Festival and openings for Sonata Arctica and Doro in their home state of Florida.SEVEN KINGDOMS entered the studio for their 10th year anniversary album in the summer of 2016. Teaming up again with Jim Morris for Recording and Mixing SEVEN KINGDOMS then headed into North Avenue Studios. Guitar engineer Phil Pluskota (Abiotic, King Conquer) assisted in the tracking, along with Tyler McDaniel and then Jacob Hansen (Pretty Maids, Volbeat, Amaranthe) for the Mastering process. In The Walls EP was released in late 2016 via Kickstarter which raised over $12,000, nearly double of the goal. Following up in 2017, the full length album, Decennium, was also successfully funded via Kickstarter raising over $23,000, again almost doubling the original goal. The success of this DIY soft release gained the attention of Napalm Records, who then signed SEVEN KINGDOMS and re-pressed the bands entire catalog. SEVEN KINGDOMS is currently about to head out with the Swedish band, Evergrey, for a massive North American tour in 2017 over May and June.A band started for fun, found that hard work and dedication to their craft has major pay offs... SEVEN KINGDOMS is carving its own path in metal history creating something genuinely unique, yet undeniably Power Metal!
Album:
After numerous tours around US and Canada, three full length studio albums, it’s now ready to take the next step and join forces with Napalm Records.A band started for fun, found that hard work and dedication to their craft has major pay offs... Seven Kingdoms is carving its own path in metal history creating something genuinely unique, yet undeniably power metal.Seven Kingdoms on the signing and their new home at Napalm Records: “We are really happy to announce that we signed a deal with Napalm Records! We were able to pinpoint a deal that will help the band reach many more fans at home and overseas. Along with the newest album Decennium and the In The Walls EP, Napalm will also be repressing our earlier albums, Brothers Of The Night, The Self Titled and The Fire Is Mine. Bands such as HammerFall, Kamelot, Delain, Powerwolf and Devildriver have made this label home and we are again, just very happy to join those ranks. Napalm has been an undeniable tool in many bigger artist's careers. Thomas and the gang have been really receptive to the material and we are looking forward to getting the band on the next level with the help of Napalm Records."When I first discovered Seven Kingdoms I had only known of their current lineup, that which is fronted by vocalist Sabrina Valentine. I really enjoyed their music and quickly bought both albums featuring her as the vocalist. However, I quickly discovered that they had an album before Sabrina Valentine which was fronted by a male vocalist, Bryan Edwards. It wasn't until recently that I actually acquired the album and was surprisingly blown away. Even more shocking to me was that most Seven Kingdoms fans I see who interact on their social media sites never bring up this album. After giving this album a chance and being handsomely rewarded I felt very compelled to review this underrated album.I don't know if I'm narrow-minded in music or what, but I can't really pin down any other bands that sound like this. That's part of what gives this album such re-listen value. It's like downtuned power-thrash metal with some progressive elements thrown in for good measure. The melodies throughout are catchy and the songwriting flows in a way that never lets you get bored. The listener will constantly be engaged and challenged. It's combination of death metal vocals and melodic, heartful singing helps convey and amplify the ever-shifting lyrical themes of brotherhood, death and defeat, glory and battle quite well.The opener "Eyes of Summer" and "Stormborn" can easily send shivers down your spine, especially if you're familiar with the lyrical content, that of George RR Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series. "Go give the king his crown of gold" seems like a nice enough line to someone not familiar with what is really going on! "We Do not Sow (The Legacy of Black Harren, Pt I)" touches on the Ironborn's ritual of drowning inductees (sometimes to death) as part of their religion, giving that much more power and nerd-value to the line "What is dead may never die!". All of these songs are chalked full of contemplative, darker lyrics such as these. Camden Cruz still shines with outstanding solos and leads, playing out when appropriate and keeping it simpler with more melodic lines when needed.Easily the highlight of this album is the ballad "The Bloody Meadow". Where are songs like this on 'Seven Kingdoms' and 'The Fire is Mine'?! The chorus on this song alone makes buying the album worth it. The keyboards taking a more prominent role is also a very welcomed addition which helps give this song a distinct identity.A few detractors do exist, however. Bryan Edwards shines quite a lot in this album but his singing voice is sometimes noticeably unpolished. This could have been fixed with some minor pitch corrections and/or more takes to get the perfect one. The example which sticks out the most are the high falsettos in "Dragonflight". He's in tune but the power isn't there and it's uncomfortable to hear, it's definitely out of his range. When Bryan is in his comfort zone he's soulful and moving. Luckily bumps in the road for vocals are few and far between and go by so fast that one can't linger on them.The drums on this record sound sufficient, but I can't help but think this is actually a drum machine. The cymbals in "The Long Night" (and all the other songs, really) make this suspicion burn. Keith Byrd is credited with drums on this album's Metal Archives page, so I don't know what's going on. I still would put my money on this album's percussion actually being programmed drums. And lastly the only song I feel is weak would be "Watchers on the Wall". Very well performed, but it's bouncy, galloping power metal sound feels out of place with the rest of the album's darker, pounding aura.To fans of Seven Kingdoms post-Bryan Edwards, I can safely say you owe it to yourself to give this album a spin. 'Brothers of the Night' is defined by Bryan's guttural screams and warm singing as well as it's comparatively experimental nature when held up against it's two succeeding followups. I don't know why Seven Kingdom abandoned some of the elements on this album, as this is the only Seven Kingdom album which holds my attention beginning to end. One could view it as evolution into a newer, more modern (and mainstream) sound. I would contend that it's more like half-life, constantly decaying into something different and in my opinion overall inferior.
Line-Up:
Bryan Edwards - Vocals
Keith Byrd - Drums (2007-present) - See also: BlackHelm, ex-Maverick Hunter, ex-Cast Asunder
Kevin Byrd - Guitars (2007-present) - See also: BlackHelm
Camden Cruz - Guitars (2007-present) - See also: ex-This Solemn Vow
Cory Stene - Bass
John Zambrotto - Keyboards
Tracklist:
01. Eyes of Summer 04:27
02. Stormborn 04:04
03. We Do Not Sow (The Legacy of Black Harren, Part I) 05:21
04. Blackwater Rush 07:10
05. The Bloody Meadow 07:49
06. Dragonflight 05:11
07. The Long Night 04:05
08. Watchers on the Wall 06:08
09. Towers of Hubris (The Legacy of Black Harren, Part II) 06:08
10. Winter Comes 07:07
+ Video "Stormborn" (Official Video)
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