THEM – Manor Of The Se7en Gables

Manor Of The Se7en Gables, the second album from German Horror Power Metal act THEM, surprises in the best way possible, managing to shake off the stigma of a “soundalike” band and putting forth enough originality and passion to stand well on its own. With the obvious nod to King Diamond, both in terms of the band’s name and lead vocal style, there is no hiding or apologizing for the group’s influences. Despite this, Manor Of The Se7en Gables is a strong, well produced, fresh sounding Gothic Power Metal album.

Vocalist KK Fossor has all of the wailing, face-numbing high range as Mr. Diamond, yet he uses his stratospheric capability more sparingly and spends the bulk of the album singing in a more traditional style, as opposed to a traditional King Diamond album. With that being the case, it might just be possible that THEM will be a sort of gateway drug for newcomer metal heads who have yet to stumble across King Diamond or Merciful Fate. This band has all of the ingredients but a little more accessibility.

As expected of a German metal band, the production here is excellent. Guitarists Markus Johansson and Markus Ullrich’s rhythms are tight and defined, and all performances on this album are generally solid. For King Diamond and Traditional Metal fans in general, this will be a treat.

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