seven the hard way seven the hard way

Released: 20 August 2010 Label: Mascot Records

On first listen, this is an album that doesn’t entirely make sense; an eccentric hybrid of classic, progressively-tinged rock and quasi-modern metal which veers from the traditional to the outlandish without missing a smartly syncopated beat.

Only when you realise that Seven the Hard Way is the latest vehicle for renowned guitarist Tony MacAlpine does the penny begin to drop.

Although the album places the six-stringer firmly in a band, rather than a solo setting, Macalpine in fact performs all guitars, bass and keyboards, with drums and vocals handled by Virgil Donati and Mark Boals respectively.

Unsurprisingly, the musicianship is faultless, never more evident than on the Dream Theater-esque middle section of Solitary Man. What lets the album down slightly aren’t the performances, but some disappointingly inconsistent song-writing.

Opener Liar is as good as it gets, with its swampy downtuned riffing and Alice In Chains-style vocal harmonies building spectacularly to a huge stadium rock chorus.

But the shortcomings are never more apparent than when Macalpine and Co follow this impressive start with the clumsy Guilty which is second division Korn circa Untouchables with added bad rapping and wannabe hardcore posturing.

Overall, the positives outweigh the negatives and there are undoubtedly a couple of pretty special moments. With a slight shift of emphasis and a little bit more focus, Seven the Hard Way could actually make your life a lot easier place to be.

by Marcus Jervis