Brothers of the Night is the debut album from Florida's Seven Kingdom, a six-piece band that mixes elements of power metal, progressive metal, and even a little death metal into their unique and refreshing sound. Engineered by none other than Jim Morris at Morristown Studios and produced by guitar phenom Camden Cruz, Brothers of the Night is a great sounding release that contains lots of variety for almost every metal lover out there. From the chugging classic metal sounds of "The Bloody Meadow", to the raging power metal of "Eyes of Summer", there's plenty of sing-along stuff here that will instantly appeal to fans of Hammerfall or Helloween. However, when the band kicks in some growls and more furious arrangements, as they do so well on "Stormborn", "We Do Not Sow (The Legacy of Black Harren, Part 1)", and the crushing "Dragonflight", it's evident that this band has a lot of tricks up their sleeve. The guitar riffs and solos from Cruz and Kevin Byrd are rock solid throughout, and keyboard player John Zambrotto drops in just enough of an orchestral touch to add some color and textures to these solid metal songs, and even tackles some wicked solos as well. Singer Bryan Edwards displays a myriad of vocal styles, from a laid back mid-range tone, to some strong upper register screams, and even some excellent death growls. When you throw in the tight rhythm section of bassist Cory Stene and drummer Keith Byrd, you've got one powerhouse young band here that is primed for greatness. If you like more prog-metalish fare, check out the intricate riffs and rhythms of "Watchers of the Wall", and fans of Canadian band 3 Inches of Blood should love the retro-thrash/death of "Towers of Hubris (The Legacy of Black Harren, Part 2)", complete with manic drums from Byrd and Edwards' multitude of clean and growled vocals.
My guess is that Seven Kingdoms will be scooped up by a major metal label sooner rather than later. There's a boatload of talent here on Brothers of the Night, showing a band that knows how to write memorable metal tunes that touch on a batch of different styles, and they have plenty of chops to boot. If it sounds like a winning formula, it certainly is.
Track Listing
1 Eyes of Summer
2 Stormborn
3 We Do Not Sow (The Legacy of Black Harren, Part 1)
4 Blackwater Rush
5 The Bloody Meadow
6 Dragonflight
7 The Long Night
8 Watchers of the Wall
9 Towers of Hubris (The Legacy of Black Harren, Part 2)
10 Winter Comes
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