The Seventh Seal
The Seventh Seal
| 1. The End of Living 2. The Seventh Sign 3. I Am 4. The Boon He Gives 5. Moonlight Night 6. Child of Time 7. Harga 8. So Strange 9. As Far As I Can Go 10. Shadow Empire |
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| Recent Releases from LeFay: Fata Morgana (1997) Maleficium (1996) Past, Present, Future (1995) |
Related Albums (in sound): Metallica - Master of Puppets (1986) Iced Earth - Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998) Lake of Tears - A Crimson Cosmos (1997) |
| Lefay is a Swedish band which sprug off of
the "heavy doom progressive" band Morgana Lefay. They fired a few members, added
three more, dropped the 'Morgana' off their name and found a new record deal to record
another album. I remember seeing the cover of for this album way before I actually heard
the album and thought "damn that's cool, I have to get this". So from then on I
highly anticipated this release. Finally the cd is in my hands, and my feelings are mixed
at best. Their sound is fairly easy to describe. Can anyone say...Metallica? That's right. Lefay sounds alot like Metallica. From the vocalist to the styling of the songs to the guitar riffing, the band sounds to me, like a power metal version of the band Metallica. I know I'll probably get flamed for this, but truthfully, I hate Metallica. But this album is equally mixed with power metal and other influences, once you get past the initial shock. Vocalist Charles Rytokenen sounds similiar to a youthful Jon Oliva (Savatage). The guitar sounds top heavy like some of Candlemass's doom infested riffs and all the songs have alot of punch to them, the kind of music that will appeal to fans of harder metal and not just the power fanatics. Tossed into the melting pot is a strong dose of Iced Earth in the pulsating crushing rhythms and icy guitar work. Of course Iced Earth also reminds me of Metallica, so it all goes back to that "Master of Puppets" thing. Production seems to be tight and the lyrics are well written and hold the songs together fairly well. Mentions of blood, death, insanity, pain, demons, and other pleasant imagery. But no one pretended it was an album to relax too. Strong mixes in the supernatural, the occult and and the horrors of the real world are abound on this disc. There are also fantasy type themes, and the rather pretty "Moonlit Night" lyrics. Whatever it means, I'll take a shot at that later with my lyrical theories, even though I haven't a clue, but it sounds good. |
| This is another of those half and half
disc. There are a handful of songs that are quite excellent and merit several plays, and
others are just too bottom heavy with not enough melody or speed to keep me from wanting
to switch it off. "So Strange" falls inbetween these categories, with an easily
headbangable rhythm, with slowly pounding drums and a writhing overall sound with twisted
lyrics about a harpy (a female fantasy creature that is a mixture between a siren and a
eagle). Opening track, "End of Living", begins by swelling with a pulsing high
pitched sound and breaking out into another doomy type sound but with a heavy bottom end
and a great overall feel. I do have to say that the Oliva-ish vocals feel right at home in
this heavy and thick setting, and are perfect for singing this kind of music. The bridge
to "End of Living" possesses a good bit of melody and lightens the song up a
little. While the chorus uses the word "Die" alot. The lyrics remind of those
fools that set out to climb up a mountain and wait at the top for the "time to
die". The following tune, and title track, "The Seventh Sign", sort of
carries this theme on, in the manner that the song is about the apocalypse, and the
closest example of a 'true' power metal song on this disc. This tune is still set in the
same slow pound of the previous tune, but with a killer and memorable chorus that slays
and kills. The warbling vibrato shaking that deep voice that sounds like death itself,
puts the listener even more into the mood of the song. Cool ending with the church like
chorus wrapping the song up. "The Boon He Gives" serves as the commercial song
of the bunch, with exchanges between acoustic passages and thick and heavy sections. Toss
in an infectious, yet, repetitive chorus, and that pretty much describes this little tune.
"Moonlight Night" follows, and not a moment too soon. Its one of the only tunes
that break up the pound-pound-pound that makes up the rest of the disc. Mostly acoustic,
with a magical feel to it due to the fantasy lyrics. As far as I can tell (and I could be
wrong of course) this song is about the creatures that take shape and awaken once night
has fallen and fade again at the break of dawn. This song sounds alot like some of Lake of
Tears material. Needless to say this is one of my favorites, not only for the theme of the
song but also because its a bit lighter and melodic than anything else offered up, except
for the wild ripping shredfest that builds up to the closing of the tune. The rest of what's on here, just doesn't hold up to these tunes. The best of these is "Harga", which opens with some violin, but a heavy, plodding doom feel, slowly takes over. The slithering, edgy guitar slides around the tune in a rather endearing manner, and adds alot to this labored sounding song. From there it falls on further downhill. "Child of Time" is pounding, but nothing really special, sounds too thrashy for my tastes. "As Far As I Can Go" is a slower song like "Moonlight Night", but lacking its charm, it shoots for being a little something different, with distorted vocals, but it is an arduous task to make it through this tune for its drudging overall feel. "Shadow Empire" is simply a thrash song. And guess what? I simply dont' like it. "I Am", sounds too much like a primitive mixture of "End of Living" and "The Seventh Sign", but not as good as either. If you are just absolutely wild about those two songs, then I assume that you will like this one as well. |
| Although its not quite the power metal type
album I had imagined, its still not a 'bad' release. There are a few songs that are quite
appealing for various reasons, but half of the album is just average at best. Fans of the
heavier end of metal such as 80s Metallica, Iced Earth and the like will find this to be
easily accessible to their tastes. Those looking for power or progressive metal might want
to look elsewhere. Overall its not terrible but then again not terribly good. They have a
good thing going for them on several tracks, but kind of slip and loose it with the rest,
by creating warmed over Metallica clone thrash tunes. You've been warned. Rating - 6.5 |
