I have to say that Seven Seals has definitely been a surprise for me. Their last two releases, Black Sun and Devil’s Ground were solid workmanlike examples of traditional metal yet they offered nothing new in terms of evolving from 2001’s Nuclear Fire. Seven Seals on the other hand finally shows the band experimenting with new sounds be it orchestration or even archaic melodies (the title track). The done to death subject matter of “heaven and hell” and the boring cover art are the only two drawbacks to this otherwise splendid cd.

Demons and Angels is opens the album and does so on a much different note than I was expecting. It’s a good mid tempo song but is relatively safe and didn’t impress me on first listen. It is here however where the use of synthetic strings first make an appearance. Rollercoaster is head turner for sure. A frolicking tune with a bouncy riff and memorable chorus this one should go over well live. The biggest shocker to these ears is the third track, Seven Seals. Using a dramatic keyboard introduction to set the mood this is more of a ballad that can be compared to Tears of Rage rather than a frantic rocker. Ralf’s vocals are tracked many times over and during the chorus the listener is bombarded by a haunting wall of voices.

When listening to the rest of the cd I find that there are only a handful of up tempo songs. The majority of Seven Seals is comprised of middle paced anthems, each song generally has a rousing chorus. There are the exceptions that harken back to the earlier days of the bands, All For One sounds like it could have been lifted off the self titled debut. Carniwar is a silly and pretty banal song that plods along to nowhere and is the only real dud on this album. I don’t have any idea how this made it past the cutting room floor, the US version bonus track is better than this lifeless and dull four minutes. A nice little surprise greets the listener at the last quarter, A Question of Honor. This is in fact an old Sinner song redone with Ralf on vocals. Exuberating energy at every turn, this ballsy and epic number is a fine addition to the band‘s catalog. Thanks Mat! Primal Fear’s first true ballad, In Memory gets the honor of closing out the cd and this will either turn people off completely or like me, the listener will enjoy this new side of the band immensely. I hear elements of post modern alternative with the first clean chorus and a soulful performance from Ralf mixed with a simple but ear pleasingly structure.

Primal Fear have not reinvented themselves with Seven Seals yet they change their typical formula just enough to stay relevant in today’s scene. They have successfully dodged the bullet of stagnation and at this point in their careers they should be extremely happy.