Wim: Concerning CD reviews my last of the year does not make me smile. The disc playing in my CD player does not make me very happy at all. With ‘In Hoc Signo Vinces’ the Swedish power metal band VII Gates release their second album, four years after the debut ‘Fire, Walk With Me’. I sincerely wonder who is waiting for this band and its thirteen in a dozen type of music. I certainly am not!
The band plays power metal with some semi-classical elements. Leader, guitarist and songwriter is Mr. J.J. Rockford. He has a great influence on the total sound of the band. In the final mix both his riffs as his solo work are prominently emphasized. This unfortunately also emphasizes that Rockford sometimes seems to be playing a completely different song from the one Criss Blackburn is singing. The advantage is, however, that you are not constantly confronted with the meaningless vocals of Blackburn. Rockford is a good guitarist especially in his solo work. The contribution of (host) keyboard player Tim Diaz is very mediocre; he does not contribute anything exciting or melodic. According to the band’s bio they are very pleased with the new bassist Nicola Pasa mainly because he contributes to a more lively sound. To me, however, it seems like the producer - Mr. Torkel Bäck - has forgotten to tape his bass playing. I cannot distinguish it. Even after trying really hard, I am sorry to say that I cannot find a single nice track on this album.
Finally I would like to add that around the time of the release of this CD JJ Rockford came to his senses and left the band. I can understand why.
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