When I wrote a review for Seventh Wonder's The Great Escape album (2010, see review) in my final words expressed my wish to see the band play live. I could not predict the future, but due to the fact that vocalist Tommy Karevik was asked to join Kamelot as their new frontman, Seventh Wonder took it slow and did not play live on a frequent basis. I also could not predict I would see them live on DVD before seeing the real deal, which still hasn't happened. Luckily for us Seventh Wonder appeared on the 2014 line-up for ProgPower USA, which was captured on video. Initially the band would play the Mercy Falls album in its entirety and the recordings of the second show would be used for the re-takes of mistakes and some additional tracks. In the end the band was so pleased with the first show, the second was used for only songs they did not play the night before, which resulted in the addition of a second DVD to the package. It's a smart move from Seventh Wonder to release this album at this time; the band signed to Frontiers Records and are working on a new album. This live recording gives them renewed publicity for the aficionados who've been waiting for six years to hear new material, but also new progressive rock fans who will get the chance to get to know this amazing band. Smart move, as I said. The album starts with “Day One”, like I referred to, the Mercy Fall album in its entirety. During the first track; A New Beginning, the “artistic” way of presenting the song, luckily sticks to only this song. The other tracks are nicely filmed and perfectly show a band at their top form. I have to mention; Tears For A Father, which sees Tommy in an intense and emotional way but also Break The Silence, where the instrumental parts are perfectly put to life by the fantastic bass player Andreas Blomqvist and guitarist Johan Liefvendahl. Or the wonderful Destiny Calls, where keyboard player Andreas Söderin shines. One Last Goodbye sees some artistic elements again, but this acoustic song, with a nice lady on stage definitely belongs to the highlights of the first DVD. I guess I haven't mentioned Seventh Wonder's latest member, drummer Stefan Norgen, a solid powerhouse on drums, but also a great vocalist. The encore sees the performance of the 2014 non-album single Inner Enemy, a song that I would love to see as an addition to the forthcoming album in 2017. “Day Two” pleasures us with a number of songs from the album Tommy Karevik was presented; Waiting In The Wings, Taint The Sky, Banish The Wicked, Walking Tall and The Edge Of My Blade. Their latest album The Great Escape is represented by the popular track; Alley Cat as well as a great performance of King Of Whitewater, but the icing on the cake that is called Seventh Wonder is the acoustically medley, simply titled as Seventh Wonder Odyssey. Just listen if you can recall the names of the songs that pass by during this special moment. Like I referred to earlier, the DVD release of Seventh Wonder's ProgPower USA performance is a real smart one, but not only a smart one, it's really a great one. You can witness the band in optimum form sharing a great moment with an enthusiastic audience. There is no better way to get warmed up for a new album. ProgPower Europe 2017 would be great, I'm just expressing my wishes and hopes here. ****+ Pedro Bekkers (edited by Robert James Pashman) Where to buy? |
