SECRET RULE – The 7 Endless

If anyone who’s enthusiastic about female fronted metal was asked where to look for new exciting bands, they would most likely reply with Finland, Sweden or The Netherlands. That’s where most of the popular and successful Metal bands with a lady on the vocals are from. But that’s not everything – Italy has something to offer, too. Here’s a band that fans of such acts as Within Temptation or Visions of Atlantis should definitely give a listen. Here comes Secret Rule with their fourth album The 7 Endless.

Everyone who fell in love with the band for their dynamic, powerful and quite catchy songs from the previous albums may be in for a big surprise when checking this one out. It sounds as if Secret Rule decided to try going in a different direction. Everything on this album is different than on the previous ones. Though whether their music has changed for the better or for the worse is a matter of taste as this album surely misses a lot compared to the band’s earlier works.

First of all, production. Instead of having a powerful sound being one of the factors that make Metal bands sound exciting, The 7 Endless sounds as if the band decided to experiment with Nu-Metal. And not just that, despite some quite progressive patterns in several songs, it lacks the overall energy and the element of punch that the previous albums certainly do have. Heaviness on its own is not everything. It surely is a very drastic change. Now it should be easy to imagine how Megadeth fans must have felt when Risk came out.

This album clearly has its strong and weak points. Angela Di Vincenzo, whose vocals on the previous works are really spot on, does not sound anywhere near herself here. Instead of high energy Power Metal vocals, most of her voice sounds like melancholic wailing.

One thing that certainly does not call for any negative remarks is the sound of the synths. That is still a matter of taste because some of those sounds could make one think of a sci-fi movie rather than a Symphonic Metal album. But those who like Power Metal and sci-fi movies should not be disappointed. Tracks like Dream,  Desire,  Alone and Hidden Into A Dream are examples of songs with really superb use of the synths. After all, it’s Henrik Klingenberg of Sonata Arctica who plays them!

As much as the bass in the first songs on the album sound rather bland, the bass near the end gets the more punchy sounding. It certainly does on tracks Desperation and Delirium. Those have some proper grooves. The lead guitar is not excessively exciting either, although Hidden Into A Dream and Alone are an example of the tracks where Andy Menario proves that he has class. Although, the sound of the rhythm guitar in the latter composition sounds more like 80s/90s Sleaze Rock rather than any sort of Metal.

Those who like high energy heavy music will likely approve of the sixth track titled Destiny. A Symphonic Metal composition with a Metallica or Overkill riff to it? Why not! The most interesting composition is however the final one, titled The Awakening. There is one band it brings to mind and it’s even an Italian band – Rhapsody (of Fire)! The bass on that song is really deep and groovy, just as it should be. This album could surely do with more songs like that one.

Overall, this is not a bad album, though not an amazing one either. Rather monotonous, with only two songs really standing out. It’s certainly too good to be described as mediocre, but on the other hand, this band is capable of a bit more.