Seven Sisters-Seven Sisters

High Roller Records
2016

A long-time favorite act of mine, Seven Sisters is a  N.W.O.B.H.M-inspired traditional heavy metal band that hails from West London and has been active since 2013. Lead by vocalist/guitarist (and band founder) Kyle McNeill (one hell of a nice guy that I had the pleasure of interviewing last year!), Seven Sisters first made the scene in the summer of 2014 thanks to a buzz-worthy recording entitled, "The Warden". It took a year (and a bit of a line-up change) to do it, but that highly-praised demo was all but forgotten about when Seven Sisters issued the 7" single “Lost in Time”/”Wicked Steel”. Thanks to a new and improved sound (one which somehow/someway (?) made this already perfect traditional metal quartet all that more impressive!) that 2015 single turned Seven Sisters into a house-hold name with fans and critics alike. With the group now signed to High Roller Records we find ourselves staring face to face with something that many of us have been patiently waiting for. And of course that would be a full-length album from Kyle McNeill and his companions! This self-titled album (with eight songs and a run-time of just about 40 minutes) serves as Seven Sisters official full-length debut and yes, "Seven Sisters" is EVERYTHING that I had hopped & dreamed it would be and so much more!! Backed by the stellar musicianship of guitarist Graeme Farmer, bassist Adam Thorpe*, and drummer Steve Loftin, lead vocalist/guitarist Kyle McNeill has crafted an album that is completely brilliant! From it's overall production and sound (which is as vintage as you would expect from this London four-piece while still featuring enough of a modern edge to slam the competition HARD to the ground!) to actual songwriting this is exactly how you want a traditional heavy metal release to look and feel. This forthcoming LP already has instant classic written all over it. To that end, "Seven Sisters" is one of the all-time GREATEST debut albums in the field of heavy metal!! Maybe he made a slam-dunk of a deal with the devil or maybe he is just that good, but either way Kyle McNeill has continued his sneaky little game of one-upmanship on "Seven Sisters".  Personally I am leaning towards that devil deal. I mean how else are we to explain the vast improvements that took place between each of Seven Sisters' recordings? From "The Warden" to "Lost In Time" there was a jump in quality and now with this self-titled BEAST of an album it's like someone turned the switch all the way up to the top!! Sure, there is always natural growth that goes on with any good band but this is flat-out ridiculous! With it's killer dual-leads, catchy choruses, rock-solid as f**k rhythm section, and the golden delicious voice of band-leader Kyle McNeill this London quartet has one hell of a A++ debut on it's hands section and come mid-October there will be but one heavy metal band to rule them all! Seven Sisters is the new king of the mountain so be sure to bow down on your knees now while you have the chance. After all it's either bow down or be blown away!!!!

*Since the recording of this gem bassist Adam Thorpe has been replaced Javi Rute.