This maybe a tad old but it had to be translated
Here it is. The English sounds quite weird, I'm sorry, but I hope it's more comprensible than using google translate. History repeats itself. Whether this applies to numerous bands of the resurrected NWOBHM, the same can be said for melodic rockers Seven, an English quintet led by brothers Keith McFarlane and Simon Le Fevre, who, after the publication of the singles “Inside Love" and "Man With A Vision" (both released in 1990), broke up between tensions and internal conflicts, before releasing the fateful debut album. Over the years, Seven became what we now call a cult band, a "veneration" fueled by unofficial voices that argued for years the existence of a full-length album preserved by Polydor and never published. In fact, the much rumored album in question never saw the light for lack of a proper record deal, given that band members signed only a bill just for the already mentioned singles. Mick Devine himself, talented singer of the combo, has denied the existence of a debut album, pointing out that the only recorded material corresponded to different demos recorded in places like Rockfield studios. It is easy to draw the necessary conclusions from what stated before: 7 collects unpublished songs and already published songs, putting itself for a debut album that, after many vicissitudes, sees the light thanks to the always efficient Escape Music. Speaking about the release, the hi-tech suggestions of the keyboards and synths run through 7 and are the key needed to enter the band’s magical world. Not surprisingly, if you have a glance at the special guests involved, you can see, in addition to the main keyboarder Simon Le Fevre, the presence of four (!) first class keyboard players involved in the project, among which stand out Mark Mangold (mastermind of the unforgettable Touch and Michael Bolton’s songwriter) and Adam Wakeman, Rick "Yes" Wakeman’s son and currently a member of Ozzy Osbourne's solo band. You will better understand this dialectic as soon as you venture in the sinuous keyboards lines of "Shoot to Kill", that feed on electrical couplings and synthesis to create a dreamy image, as if we were living a passionate night in the illuminated streets of Los Angeles metropolis. And as we struggle in the middle of the night, "Inside Love" awakens us by some calm touches and then bewitches us with that thrill created in the moment by Mick/Keith duo, a blend of harmonies that invades and penetrate us awakening our dormant emotions. The most attentive listeners will notice that "Inside Love" is the remake of that single which aroused great expectations in the past: nothing could be more true because the magic has remained intact in the elegant, poignant simplicity of that chorus that we had just described but that we will hardly forget. The atmosphere becomes more tenuous and dim when the piano notes peep like dewdrops. Devine’s sweet voice is a bridge that leads us to the romantic emphasis of "Diana", a poem transposed into music, song that conveys the nostalgia of past moments spent listening to old, lost in time ballads. "Still" it is still suspended on the mellow chimes wings but soon it flares a riff as hot as the old hard rock style demanded. The vehemence dissolves in a lilting refrain, which strides majestically through the elegance of the keys and slides on the rough pulsing guitar. The fusion of the voices completes a haunting refrain, modeled on that brief, intense word "Still". Another classy and passionate moment, although it doesn’t reach the enchanting ecstasy of "Inside Love". "Headlines" takes us to sail the night led by a vibrant solo: a flash that turns into a synths reverberated pre chorus. The refrain is not long in coming and plunges its hook lines in our hearts."Strangers" is crammed with the '80s sound, spread by Le Fevre keyboards. But if the intro could leave indifferent the most used of this musical genre, soon you will be engulfed in the chorus and you will be totally dominated by it when you get to the central stanzas. They will blow so strong that you won’t feel a foreign in an inhospitable land but at home, in the abode of the melody, of the AOR. Your dwelling, dear melodic rock fans. As for "Inside Love", "Strangers" is the revival of an old song, "Stranger (In the Night)", extra track of the CD single "Man with a Vision". "America" has an unequivocal title and projects us once again into the nightlife, where the voices don’t cease to caress us like velvet on the skin. The sweet vibrato thrill that flashes in the middle of the song goes through our senses, hypnotizing us as a striking vision in the dark. This journey through the night hasn’t ended yet while we meet the galloping sound of the bass of "Thru the Night". The chorus is immediate: it’s a seductive encounter, with a sweet and at the same time intense appealing, as vintage AOR requires. The reprise doesn’t forget the delicacy and the keyboard atmospheres, irreplaceable friend of our favorite genre. The energetic "Never Too Late" introduces itself in an uninhibited and fast way, mitigated by the quick peeks of the keyboard and by Devine refined caresses. The guitar, in fact, coexists with soft keyboards that jump out in the riff and injects small doses of pure rock energy in the background. Inflection that takes over during the guitar solo, as if to explain the title: it’s never too late for a little healthy hard'n'roll! Another display of strength and elegance with "Do not Break My Heart", which delivers its message exclusively to the harmonies of the keyboards, the true stars of an emotional chorus that blooms when Seven, led by Devine, rise in unison. To finish, "Say Goodbye" is more than a farewell, it seems an invitation to a future, a new encounter: the silvery rain of the keys pours down while festive verses greet us and the guitar calls us to the last sentimental solo. To sum up, 7 is an album that speaks for itself: it’s the delayed test of a band skilled in recreating old melodies codified in AOR’s genetics, especially the European one, which in the late eighties tried to propose itself to overseas charts. So don’t be surprised if while listening, bands as the compatriots FM and Swedish Alien will come to your mind. According to a lucid and objective analysis, in fact, the album is nothing more than a catchy, great revival. Such an operation implies, therefore, the presence of well-established but still attractive formulas, as evidenced by the ballads "Diana" and "Say Goodbye", which prefer more cheerful and less passionate refrains rather than the seductive "Inside Love". Second, we could say Seven had played a mere renovation work, reworking and bringing together old singles and unreleased songs. A feeling that seems confirmed if you have already listened to "Inside Love" and the previous version of "Strangers" ["Stranger (In the Night)"]. However, all those people, who have never listened to these tracks, or were expecting a reboot of the old material, will fully support the choice made. Nonetheless, the tracks stand out better in a finally complete and harmonized platter, where the old hits find the right positioning thanks to the quality of the other tracks. This thanks also to the expressive voice of Devine, which stands comparison with his old performance: incredible to say, but the tone of Mick remained as crystal clear and beautiful as if time had stood still in the early nineties. It remains, however, unexplained the lack of the single "Man With A Vision" that, re-recorded and finalized with today's standards, would not disfigured in the middle of the lot, creating added value to the proposal. Speculations aside, what it’s more important is that these songs have retained their feeling and their innate strength, just like Devine’s voice. The rest is history. A story with a happy ending.