Seventh Crystal - Entity
(Frontiers Music SRL - 2024)
(Genre: Melodic Hard Rock)
Swedish Rockers, Seventh Crystal are back with their third album on the Frontiers label after debut effort 'Delirium' in 2021 and follow up 'Wonderland' in 2023. Both seem to have been well received from what I have read ahead of this review. This album, titled 'Entity' is my first taste of the Gothenburg group so let’s get stuck into it.
Swedish Rockers, Seventh Crystal are back with their third album on the Frontiers label after debut effort 'Delirium' in 2021 and follow up 'Wonderland' in 2023. Both seem to have been well received from what I have read ahead of this review. This album, titled 'Entity' is my first taste of the Gothenburg group so let’s get stuck into it.
We begin with 'Oathbreaker' which isn’t quite what I expect. There is a Power Metal style mixed into the melodic rock sound I expected to hear. A strong recipe to tantalise the taste buds early. 'Thirteen To One' very much has the modern melodic rock style I thought would be on offer. Fellow Swedes H.E.A.T. come to mind as I listen to this song.
Guitar Duo, Emil Dornerus and Gustav Linde impress on the third track '404'. Hints of Early Bullet For My Valentine come across in their style. 'Path Of The Absurd' and 'Architects Of Light' are more in keeping with the modern melodic rock sound that the Swedish bands have a penchant for.
'Interlude' is a short spoken word track which is exactly what it says on the tin. I can’t see the need for it myself really, especially as it is placed in the middle section of the album. This is apparently a concept album about disinformation that is spread through social media channels and the negative effects that it can have. So perhaps when you have the full lyrical content of the album it might have more relevance than I’m giving it credit for.
'Blinded By The Light' has a heavier style behind a synth sound which gives this song a good energy. Bassist, Olof Gadd and Drummer, Anton Roos provide the bedrock for this track, allowing Dornerus and Linde to offer some nice guitar parts again. Siren Song is a solid track overall but the spoken word passage two thirds in feels out of place in my opinion.
More good guitar work drives 'Versus' along and is my favourite track on the album. A brief Hammond organ piece offers a different flavour to this song which nods towards H.E.A.T. comparisons once more. By now I better mention vocalist, Kristian Fyhr who’s vocal style is more than capable of complimenting the band’s sound. Some fine fret work is the highlight of track 10, 'Mayflower'.
The album kind of runs out of steam in the final quarter. 'Push Comes To Shove' is a mediocre effort and 'A Place Called Home' despite some promising guitar work is little better. 'Song Of The Brave' might have been better placed in the middle of the album rather than being the closing number. It’s an underwhelming trio of songs to conclude the album.
If a couple tracks were cut from the record it would be a different entity entirely. It would be a sharper, more concise listen. There is a lot to like about this album and Seventh Crystal in general. In a crowded field of similar bands and artists, they more than hold their own.
6/10
By Carl Mace