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VII
Gates are a classic metal outfit
hailing from Sweden who add a new dimension
to the genre with the infusion of modern
day power metal elements creating a nice
blend between the two eras of metal.
Their
debut album “Fire, Walk With Me”
(2004, Sound Riot Records) received strong
critical acclaim with writers praising the
bands mix of classic metal values with modern
day inflections. Their
new album and debut release on Lion Music,
“In Hoc Signo Vinces”
(in this you will conquer) sees the band
pushing this element further yet all the
while keeping a consistent flow to the music
and bands trademark sound.
The guitar work of JJ Rockford and
Robert Makek leaves a rich
musical backdrop for the crisp vocals of
Criss Blackburn to deliver
many moods. Underpinned by the dynamic rhythm
section of drummer
Mick Van Slowfoot
and new bassist
Nicola
Posa; VII Gates deliver metal that
will appeal to fans of classic metal and
the modern day power metal movement.
On
the album JJ Rockford comments, “When
we released our first album "Fire,
walk with me", the reviews where incredibly
good. People really seemed to like how we
took classic heavy metal and added a few
new elements here and there. So, for this
album, we tried to take this process even
further. So the songs will sometimes have
very dramatic changes, you will never know
what will happen next. But still we managed
to keep a flow, it still sounds like relatively
normal songs in a traditional sense. In
VII Gates, there is always a steady foundation
of a very classic hard rock/heavy metal
sound at the base. But above that basic
layer it’s more open this time around".
"The
titles of all the lyrics probably sound
like typical heavy metal titles. But behind
them, you will only find stories of two
general subjects. First, usual horror movie/books
subjects. Or secondly, stories about bad
marriages or the lust to live your own life,
free from conventional relationships. Most
of the tracks are more intricate and also
a bit longer than on our debut but not at
the expense of quality. New bassist Nicola
Pasa definitely helped make the songs feel
more alive, through some really carefully
prepared bass playing. Guest keyboardist
Tim Diaz also had more freedom this time.
It’s still the basic instruments and
the strong songs which are doing the main
work, but the keyboards really added an
extra dimension to the songs”.
• 4 years after their critically acclaimed
debut album VII Gates are back with an even
stronger album.
• Reviews in all leading rock/metal
press.
• JJ Rockford is available for interview
via phone or email. To arrange yours contact
promo@lionmusic.com | 
