WAITING IN THE WINGS

Europe meets Dream Theater

Seventh Wonder is a swedish prog metal band with 3 albums in their pockets 'till now. Waiting in the wings is their second album from 2006 and was a big surprise for me, in a good way. Very talented band with a lot to offer in prog metal zone. As I said I was impressed by this release, not because they are original but because they play very tight and with great ideas. Taken their influences from the '80's hard and heavy zone like Europe or Iron Maiden, specialy the vocal parts and on some arrangements and aswell from the prog metal gods from the '90's Dream Theater= the combination is Seventh Wonder. The music is prog metal with very fine passages between the guitar of Johan Liefvendahl and the keys of Andreas Söderin, they are the cherry on the cake here. Also the voice of Tommy Karevik is brilliant , remind me the moments when Europe made history in the '80's, catchy and easy to remember,very strong vocal range , fits like a glove in this kind of music. The best pieces are all , not a wak moments, but with a plus on : the opening track Star Of David, the longest one from here Waiting In The Wings , excellent musicianship on this one, showing that they are meaning every note from this piece and Walking Tall. So a great band that desearve a wider recognition. Among the best in this field in prog metal. 4 star easy to give on this second album. Recommended, similar bands, Dreamscape, Dream Theater and even some bands from the '80's like Europe.

SEVENTH WONDER are yet another in the long line of excellent Prog-Metal bands from Sweden. Looking around the Net I didn't see one negative review of this album. Many feel this is a big step up from their debut, a lot of that owning to the fact they have a new vocalist. It's funny but I have tried and tried to get into this album without any luck. It's weird because i'm a big Prog-Metal fan and with all the positive reviews I figured this was a guarantee 4 star record for me.

"Star Of David" opens with keys and vocals with outbursts of drums before riffs come in quickly. Excellent instrumental section 3 1/2 minutes in that lasts a minute. "Taint The Sky" opens with keys and synths as heaviness comes in. Vocals before 1 1/2 minutes. The guitar lights it up before 5 minutes. This song is ok. "Waiting In The Wings" is my third favourite. It just sounds really good with some great bass. A really good instrumental section after 5 minutes. Vocals are back after 7 minutes as it settles. "Banish The Wicked" features reserved vocals a minute in. I like the guitar before 4 minutes.

"Not An Angel" has lots of synths after 4 minutes as drums pound.The drums are relentless in this uptempo track. "Devil's Inc." is a top two song for me. It's mellow to start but some power comes in quickly. I like the vocals on this one. Nice guitar after 2 minutes. Great sound 5 minutes in. "Walking Fall" is heavy with vocals. The tempo picks up before 3 minutes with some ripping guitar. "The Edge Of My Blade" is the other top two tune for me. Amazing bass intro with full sound to follow. "Pieces" opens with piano and reserved vocals. It's ok.

Keep in mind that this album has a lot of fans, but 3 stars is the most I can give.

Progmetal original

When we talk about progmetal comes to mind: Dream Theater. But this band, or at least this album is something I never heard of the scenario, no riffs and keyboards of cloned Rudess or "Portnoys. The metrics of progressive rock is present, but the sound is difficult to define. What I can say is that sound is a couple where the metrics change constantly even though the songs are not fast, the guys are detailed, seem to think every second of every array of music, changes in riffs ee double pedal, very original , especially the guitar and keyboard melodies with very creative. Highlight for "Edge of my blade" and "Star of David."

On days where most clones are clones and the DT, these guys in the present and give a rest to our ears.

SEVENTH WONDERS's "Waiting in the Wings" is their second studio album that really defined their sound. From their 2005 release "Become", which was definitely more power than progressive metal, they have developed a more modernized progressive metal sound.

"Waiting in the Wings" is SEVENTH WONDERS's first album to feature new singer Tommy Karevik and his very well crafted vocal melodies. On top of the powerful vocals, "Waiting in the Wings" features complex guitar solos and riffs by Johan Liefvendahl and smooth synth leads by Andreas Söderin. The bass is audible throughout, which is rare in progressive metal as the loud guitar-driven sound and pounding drums typically drown out the bass. Not to mention that Andreas Blomqvist absolutely shreds the bass. The drums are methodical and varied; they aren't overblown in any way and do a good job of accenting the riffs and solos. All in all, instrumentation is very high quality.

"Star of David", while not the best song on the album, is a good beginning track. It introduces what "Waiting in the Wings" is all about and showcases SEVENTH WONDER's talents. At 3:27 Blomqvist starts shredding the bass and from then on it's an awesome 1-minute solo.

"Taint the Sky" has a great synth intro that combines well with the guitar riff. The vocal melody is powerful and catchy. This song features an interesting instrumental part that uses strings that lead into the solos nicely. "Taint the Sky" is one of the stronger songs on this album.

"Waiting in the Wings", the title track, is probably the best track on the album. Clocking in at 9:18, it's the longest song on the album. This song has a sort of melancholic/eerie feel as it builds up to the choruses, which are contrastingly uplifting and relaxing; so the mood progression is neat.

"Banish the Wicked" has a heavy intro with decent riffs. This song features female backing vocals for a couple parts and it adds a nice touch. "Banish the Wicked" has a very nice melodic solo that proceeds into an impressive frenzy.

"Not an Angel" arguably has the best vocal melodies on the entire album. Not only that, but it has some of the most impressive instrumental parts woven into the mix. Overall it's a very close second to the title track.

"Devil's Inc" features an interesting vocal/harmonic counterpoint of sorts and the typical SEVENTH WONDER instrumental prowess. The solo at 4:24 is one of their best and altogether makes this one of the top tracks of the album.

"Walking Tall" is a bit mundane in the choruses and riffs, though there is a very nice bass solo at the end.

"The Edge of My Blade" I find just a little bit cheesy, though it's an average song.

"Pieces" is a pretty ballad that is a good ending to the album. The piano and strings on top of Karevik's soaring vocals creates an interesting mood that closes the album. Of course they could have done more with the ballad, but it's a nice end nonetheless.

All in all, "Waiting in the Wings" is a great album, but it falls short from being considered a masterpiece. I highly recommend this to fans of power/progressive metal, it's definitely worth a spin or two.

Sure, Seventh Wonder are full of musical cheese, but it is delivered with such conviction and technical prowess, its infectious to any rock fan who is not a gloomy person. Their second album overall and first with top-notch singer Tommy Karevik, starts a triade of excellent albums. Out of the three, this is probably the slowest and less bombastic, in relative terms. There's a 80s romantic feel to it. In fact, Seventh Wonder are influenced as much by Dream Theater as Swedish famous 80s rock exports, Europe, and, in more technical terms, Yngwie Malmsteem for the guitar heroics and Talisman (actually 80s revivalists from the 90s) for the bass heroics. Waiting in the Wings features complex counterpoints, melodic guitar solos, bass solos, some shredding, pianos, more mainstream rock relationships songs, bittersweet ballads and, of course, excellent singing.