Seven Sisters - Shadows of a Fallen Star Pt. 2

As you can read in my detailed discography check, I think Seven Sisters have improved with every release in recent years. This is a remarkable achievement, as many bands run out of ideas after their first album. The quartet from West London, on the other hand, is bursting with creativity. With that in mind, it's no wonder that I'm really looking forward to a new album from Kyle, Graeme, Gaz and Sammy.

On Shadow Of A Fallen Star Pt. 2, Seven Sisters impressively prove that they avoid the beaten track: there are not many metal bands that dare to record a song over 20 minutes long. Having been a Pink Floyd fan for over 30 years, I naturally have a weakness for long tracks – although I also inevitably draw comparisons to “Echoes“, the magnum opus of rock music.

“Andromeda Descending (A Fallen Star Rises)“, the final piece on the English band's fourth studio album, obviously doesn't reach that sublime level. Nevertheless, the band does everything right here and emphatically proves that they are still the best of their generation. The good 20 minutes fly by, as the musicians manage to create an excellent arc of suspense and thus captivate the listener throughout the entire playing time. In any case, I have never looked at the clock impatiently during a run-through, because there is never a dull moment. This is art that, thanks especially to Kyle's always-great vocals and those wonderful twin guitars, unquestionably has the potential to become a classic.

The other three titles – or, in other words, the A-side of the LP – are inevitably somewhat overshadowed by “Andromeda Descending (A Fallen Star Rises)“. But that doesn't mean that these tracks are of lesser quality.

The eight-minute-plus “Astral Prophecies“ is reminiscent of its counterpart on the self-titled debut album with its fade-in. I don't need to mention that Graeme and Kyle shine on their six-strings again in this enormously multi-faceted number with a prog touch – but I also particularly like Sammy's drumming in this song.

In my opinion, “Solar Winds“ is stylistically particularly similar to the outstanding predecessor Shadow of a Fallen Star Pt. 1 – a typical, sophisticated Seven Sisters hit that immediately gets stuck in your head, stays there forever and will surely be very well received live.

“Heart of the Sun“ would also have looked good alongside “The Artifice“ or “Horizon's Eye“ in 2021 and, like “Solar Winds“, is, in my opinion, a clear link to the previous studio album. I would like to once again highlight the dreamlike solos and guitar melodies here, which I could listen to for hours...

In short: I take my hat off to the band's courage not to present their fans with lots of ready-to-go hits, but to challenge them a bit. Looking at Seven Sisters' career so far, I can't really imagine what they might sound like in 10 years. I am sure that they will continue to develop without losing their trademarks. In the meantime, I hope that we will soon be able to hear “Andromeda Descending (A Fallen Star Rises)“ live in its entirety, despite its length – I am convinced that this composition will grow even more on stage.

Seven Sisters on Bandcamp: Click here.