Review Summary: Prog/power near perfected.
It took me a few minutes to finish deciding which Seventh Wonder album I’d review. I originally planned on doing Waiting in the Wings but at the last minute I decided I’d instead go with Mercy Falls. While I’ve always said (and still do) that WitW is overall the stronger, more consistent and concise album, Mercy Falls really does have a rare and special quality. Could it be down to the fact that it’s a concept album? Could it be, more specifically, its rather cinematic take on the concept album? I really can’t pinpoint the exact reason this album resonates with me or why it’s one of those albums that defined my life at a point in time. Come to think of it, I don’t even care, and although I still think that anyone new to Seventh Wonder should absolutely check out the album Waiting in the Wings, this time, we’ll be talking about Mercy Falls.
Despite the fact that the Swedish prog metallers gained a good chunk of their fame from their latest release, The Great Escape, they still remain relatively underground. Perhaps it’s because they’re pretty late to the game when it comes to this brand of prog metal. Countless bands have been going the prog/power/virtuosic/concept album route years before these guys thought to.
But Seventh Wonder near perfects it.
That said, I do have my quibbles with Mercy Falls, which I’d like to get out of the way first. By far the biggest offense is that it has around 10-15 minutes of somewhat forgettable material--which, while not horrid by any means, it’s just not great and it pales in comparison to the rest of the stellar record. The second problem is the overall storytelling: the voice acting is absolutely atrocious, the lyrics are both sometimes cheesy and reeking of “English as a second language” syndrome, and the storyline isn’t all that compelling. The concept album format works in terms of musical flow and dramatic impact, but the story that it serves isn’t really worth serving (in my opinion).
*** this, let’s get on to the good.
Each musician, with maybe the exception of the drummer (who don’t get me wrong, is still pretty good), is astonishing. The fretless bass is not only incredibly audible (yay), but it consistently carries unique melodies and oftentimes kind of acts as the lead instrument. As a result, I often find myself focusing on the basslines over anything else, and I can’t think of a ton of other bands where this is the case--Adreas Blomqvist is simply a legend of his craft. Andreas Soderin does a phenomenal job on the keys; he carries melodies but also provides atmosphere where he needs to and he’s also not afraid of showing off his chops, but never to excess. The guitarist, Johan Liefvendahl, is equal to any of his bandmates. He can create chunky, memorable riffs. He’s able to shred, but again, not to excess, as every note seems to be played with a purpose, and for a prog/power band this is impressive. Lastly, we have the vocalist Tommy Karevik. He has one of the strongest melodic voices, not just in metal but in music today, and I am not exaggerating. He has phenomenal range and control, and his tone is a joy to listen to, with its somewhat poppy quality actually helping make this the case.
In the end, every band member seems to have an awareness of the other musicians surrounding them. This synergistic relationship results in a flowing album that is ambitious yet almost fully competent for its entire 74 minute runtime.
