SEVENTH SIN – When Reality Ends

It’s not that often that you leave a gig clutching a CD by the opening act, yet following Seventh Sin’s support slot on Edenbridge’s recent UK tour, their albums were literally flying off the merchandise stall.

It’s easy to see why. With a sound leaning towards the commercial side of Gothic Rock with classy songs and imposing performances, Holland’s Seventh Sin are set to cause quite a stir.

Their not so secret weapon is the simply gorgeous voice of Monique Joosten. Blessed with a voice so sweet and melodic she could sing the proverbial phonebook and reduce grown men to tears. Imagine a potent blend of Anneke van Giersbergen and Within Temptation’s Sharon den Adel and you won’t be far wrong.

This would all count for nothing if the songs were not up to scratch, but Seventh Sin score highly there too. From the haunting atmospheric keyboard intro of “Hysteria” lulling the listener into a false sense of security before the galloping drums kicks in, to the simply towering riff of “Alone Again” and “Wings Of Destiny,” which has all the pomp and majesty of Magnum in their prime. This is impressive stuff.

The album plays so well and it is clear that the band have paid particular attention to the ebb and flow of the music with plenty of light and shade keeping the music fresh. Whereas the band show their altogether heavier side on “Bitter Taste Of Victory” with some great guitar/ keyboard interplay between Ruben Smeets and Vincent Reuling, their more reflective moments are wonderful. The delicate piano of “The Well” combined with Monique’s passion-drenched voice is a real highlight as is the beautiful “Just An Ordinary Day,” a song that reduced Monique to tears while performing this recently in Northumberland. Make no doubt about it; she will be one of the leading names in Gothic/Symphonic Rock circles before you know it.

When Reality Ends is an impressive debut showing a huge amount of potential and what makes this even more astonishing is that this is entirely self-financed. Just think what they could achieve with the backing of a label and a professional management team behind them. With the right break, there’s no doubting Seventh Sin will become a real force to be reckoned with.