Seven the Hardway Seven the Hardway
by Alissa Ordabai
Staff Writer
Songwrtiting simplified to a minimum serves as a stark frame for the real jewels of this release – Tony MacAlpine’s phenomenal guitar leads. Going against the old truism which says that great solos are impossible without equally great songs, the band’s debut shows that there are times when modest songwriting can serve as a platform for guitar extrapolations nothing short of exceptional.
Drummer Virgil Donati who played with MacAlpine in Planet X and Devil’s Slingshot, together with singer Mark Boals (Uli Jon Roth, Royal Hunt, Yngwie Malmsteen) seem to have had a perfect meeting of the minds on how to create a prog-tingled borderline stoner vibe with assorted heavy leanings. The latter range from thrash-inspired thump of “All I Had” to hip-hop strut on “Guilt”, and provide a much-needed ballast for tracks such as “Blame” whose prog atmospherics need something to anchor them to the ground. But there is a unified, solid, unwavering undercurrent to the entire release which serves as a perfect launching pad for MacAlpine’s phenomenal leads.
The guitarmeister’s terrific technique coupled with prodigious imagination takes those songs beyond the familiar and the commonplace. His solos are at once polished and utterly otherworldly, floating above the stern harmonic landscape with a sense of purpose that goes beyond genres, ego, and various pretensions rock so often can’t resist.
This contrast between simplicity of the songs and breathtaking allure of the guitar work is not the only juxtaposition explored on this record. There is also a dichotomy between the dark, brooding vibe of the overcast harmonic progressions, the arduous vocals, and liberated ease with which the guitar is setting off to explore the boundaries between the ordinary and the sublime. A conflicted album, and the one which takes a few listens to get into, this debut still has what it takes to provide both an a atmosphere and a sense of intrigue – something which MacAlpine knows how to balance and bring together both to provoke thought and to entertain.
Band:
Tony MacAlpine – guitar
Virgil Donati – drums
Mark Boals – vocals
Doug Shreever – bass
Stefania Daniel – guitar
Track Listing:
1. Liar
2. Guilt
3. Solitary Man
4. Where I’m Going
5. All I Had
6. Blame
7. The Wall
8. Good and Evil
9. Happy Ending
10. The Cage
Online: www.seventhehardway.net
Label: Mascot Records
Hardrock Haven rating: 7/10