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This album starts off with
“Bounded by Hate”, a song full of masterful keyboards, dynamic
guitars and a strong melody. Singer Tim Diaz has a powerful voice
that can handle a wide range, reaching even the high notes very
clearly. There’s a piano intermezzo at regular intervals, the
guitars really rock and the smooth singing sounds very clear. The
removal à la Halford may be omitted, but this is just a question of
personal taste.
After three demos, VII Gates deemed that the time was right to
record a complete album in the Slaughterhouse Studios in Sweden
under the inspired leadership of producer Richard Bengtsson (Last
Tribe). The CD has a flaming sound partly on account of the
mastering in The Digital Audio Studio in the U.K., where other bands
such as Giant, Royal Hunt and Glen Hughs also record. There’s a good
52 minutes of enjoyable and accessible music that’s dressed up with
excellent guitar work (what do you expect with three guitarists and
a choice of guest contributors?). This manifests itself in several
successful upbeat songs (The Saviour, Seconds Left to Live,
Tormented, Like a Rock). But there is still place for a long
keyboard solo or even a slower song.
As long as they write songs such as the epic “Under the Crossed
Bones”, then they may stay. It’s the epic pieces of music that carry
the pleasant rhythms in spite of the warrior-like theme. They are
speckled with amazing guitar work and are fantastically sung. “So
Far Away” is a perfect power ballad. Tim, as vocalist, shines here
and the atmosphere reminds me of the band Axe during it’s hey day.
“A Dark Room of My Mind” comes in at a slower pace with a beautiful
intro on keyboards, but even the seemingly simpler songs have
interesting twists and turns to assure that no one will fall asleep.
You have to like this dominating kind of voice that Diaz has in
order to appreciate it.
The closing song,” The Man Inside”, is one to remember. It begins
sensitively and then swerves broadly about with its keyboard parts
and then finally ends up in a tough rockin’ composition where the
guitar works rule. It’s here that Diaz puts his best foot forward
and it’s no wonder that it was with this song (which is also the
title song of the third demo) that the band clinched a record deal
with Sound Riot Records. All ingredients are present here as well to
make a live performance a direct hit.
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