Seven Wishes - Utopia

Seven Wishes are back after a two year break, taking their time to prepare their latest offering for the metal hungry masses, picking up where the 1999 self titled debut left off. Ignoring the current trend of going keyboard crazy and leaving the guitar for fills and solos only, "Utopia" sticks the axe attack right up front and in your face, and I say, "It's about time!" This is melodic rock served up where you don't have to question whether it 'rocks' or not, it does, with quite a metallic ring to it at that. Caught somewhere between the worlds of metal and AOR, the band crank out twelve solid tracks that flaunt their melodic hooks brazenly but remember their heavy heart.

Their sound also is still very close to Dokken's mid to later 80s efforts. Anthony Cedergren's axeslinging antics are reminiscent of a young George Lynch (before he went over to the 'dark side'), demonstrating a similiar punchy bite and thick galloping rhythm riffs that made Lynch's style rather distinctive. However, Cedergren's overall tone is more aggressive and unyielding. Vocalist Pelle Anderson has ironed out some of the kinks in his delivery, coming across smoother and much more charismatic, showing that he has improved much since we last heard him. His voice never lacks in that rich Scandanavian accent, imagine Timo Kotipelto doing his best Don Dokken impression and you will get an idea of what's in store. The rhythm section is as formidable as it was before, giving the music a much needed boost in the backbone area. However there's a personelle change here, as Jens Persson is gone and replaced by Linda Gustafsson who handles her skin pounding duties well, and of course Tony Westgard is still on hand with his ever-thumping bass.

So sure the band has talent but it means zilch if the album is full of throwaway ditties, but luckily that's not the case here. Seven Wishes has come a long way in the song writing department, the melodies are catchier, the choruses are easier to slip into, the pacing as a whole seems more fluid, and the band's performance more gelled. Despite the fact they all hail from a northern climate, the songs are full of warmth and overflowing with plenty of guitar.

01.] "Out of Sight" - Wasting no time, Seven Wishes breaks out of the starting gates with plenty of crunch, thanks to a very tight and prominent rhythm section. Right off the bat it is evident that all the instruments are fuller sounding and quite raw and rockin'. While not showing the band in its best form, this track serves as a heavy outing to get the disc off on the right foot.

02.] "Take My Heart" - Synth sounds and heartfelt rippling guitar almost like vintage Yngwie in quality whispering to itself and any who will listen opens up this one, but it doesn't last long before the full band kicks in and washes away the sentimental feelings that may be festering after that gentle opening. It pounds confidently during the verses, takes wings and soars for the chorus and winds up into a comfortable yet suitably electric solo that wanders around for a bit before being lassoed in for another run at the chorus or two.

03.] "Holy Man" - One of the best songs the band has written so far in their career, this thing simply smokes. The vocal harmonies are beautiful and flow naturally, and the whole song is well suited to Pelle's very Kotipelto-ish sound, in fact this cool little tune is writhing with an orgy of sounds, the melodies of slower Stratovarius, the delightfully blistering guitar of Dokken and a touch of pure AOR in the chorus that has a completely fresh sound. The bass thumping center that spills out into a short but oh-so-sweet Lynch-esque guitar extravangaza, is unexpected and more than welcome.

04.] "Justify" - A beauty of a power ballad with rather pretty, if simplistic and well-used lyrical imagery in places. A caressing chorus, heartfelt delivery and beautiful rippling guitarwork that does seem a tad too forceful for the easy flow of this slower paced song. Oh but the solo rains down like tears from heaven. This is the only instance on "Utopia" where SW dare to voyage into softer territory, and as replayable and sincere as this one comes across, a second similiar journey is sorely missed. In head to head combat with the debut's "Bring Me to Heaven", I'd be hard pressed to say which one would come out the victor, they are pretty much evenly matched, even with their differences.

05.] "Unchain the Night" - A faithful rendition of the Dokken classic, and while impressive in the sense that they managed to pull it off so close to the original, safe and uninventive. Bands that take the source material of songs that were good, memorable to begin with or in another genre, and inject it with enough new blood to make the song their own resulting in a transformation into something truly great (like At Vance with their bloody wonderful ABBA covers), recieve much more respect from me than a band that takes a superb track that's almost impossible to improve upon and re-record it exactly as it was ten years ago. Seven Wishes are moving through the motions, making no attempt to embellish the song at all, and thus it comes across as being a fine copy but nothing more, nothing less.

06.] "Too Late For Tears" - Fairly straightforward and generic, this un' is a mish mashed stew of every song from their debut thrown into the pot and simmered for a year or so. It is predictable and run-of-the-mill but is still not a 'bad' song, just lacks the flame of grabbing interest that has fueled so many other tracks on the disc so far.

07.] "Restless Heart" - The music backing the main verses remind me of something from Queensryche's "Hear in the Now Frontier", even though QR's proggy/alternative combo has little in common with the bold hard rock riffing and high pitched singing to push this track along. The chorus is a bit too stale and typical to be of interest, but strip that away and you have a better than average track with lots of instrumental breaks of virtuosity.

08.] "Don't Fade Away" - The chorus has much to like about it yet it doesn't seem to save the song. The songwriting is getting into a rut and the magic that was captured on the first half of the disc is sorely missing through the latter parts so far... and a shame it is too.

09.] "Face That Evil" - Just before interest is totally lost, Seven Wishes bounces back with another excellent track that sees plenty of guitar and another killer chorus that oozes with melody and addictiveness. Pelle's vocal acrobatics (and that slight echo thrown in here and there for an edgy subdued dramatic touch). Ooh and I love the way the axeslinging gets all tough and tumble right before the sizzling electric solo.

10.] "Not So Innocent" - Snippets of "Tooth and Nail" era Dokken can be heard in this devestating piece of tunage, but it veers off on several different tracks, including a bit of a bass solo that seems downright progressive rock in nature.

11.] "Prodigal Son" - Straightforward, but cranked to eleven with growling abrasive rhythm guitar and bass that rumbles like the aftershocks of thunder from a lightning strike. This has been reserved as a bonus track for those lucky to a copy to come from the territories that issue it as one, and I believe the band would have been better off using this as a replacement for the bland "Too Late For Tears", and left it for the rather isolated 'bonus track' status which is more often than not a mixed blessing rather than a true bonus.

With "Utopia", Seven Wishes isn't trying to foray into new grounds, but rather stick with what they know and build upon it. This has created a disc that while very similiar to their previous, sees them improving in every way imaginable that matters to the outcome of the music: musicianship, songwriting, and even a cleaner production. It is a shame that they start off so strongly and then slip in the middle, but luckily the outfit manages to rescue the downward spiral with "Face the Evil" and come out rather strongly on the last few tracks. Yes, they are playing it safe, but those that think they enjoyed the self titled debut, should be absolutely delighted with this one. It is certainly not original, but it is (for the most part) well written hard rock minus the fluff that is done extremely well.

Ratings and Wrap Up:
8.6
Songs - 8.2, Performance - 8.8, Production - 8.5, Lyrics - 7.0
Hot Spots: "Holy Man", "Justify", "Face That Evil"
Bottom Line: hard rock with LOTS of guitar

Review by Alanna Evans -
likes Dokken and bands that sound like em

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