Seventh Key - I Will Survive

[Stefan]

Frontiers Records pressrelease:

 

Seventh Key opens the door with first new cd in 8 years, "I Will Survive"

Long Time Kansas member Billy Greer re-joins forces with Mike Slamer for blistering new release on Frontiers Records

Fans of melodic, progressive hard rock have been waiting a long time for this: I Will Survive, the new album by Seventh Key, and the first new CD of studio recordings since 2004's The Raging Fire. Spearheaded by long time Kansas bassist / vocalist Billy Greer and guitarist / keyboardist Mike Slamer (ex-City Boy, Streets, Steelhouse Lande), they are joined by drummer Chet Wynd and a slew of special guests.

"I think the new CD is maybe a little bit more hard-edged and a little more progressive," says Greer, who remains an active member of Kansas. "I was also able to enlist my Kansas bandmate and friend, David Ragsdale, to play on four tracks. That, in itself, added a whole new element to the album."

Formed in 2001 as a side- project for Greer and Slamer (the two had played together in the early 1980s in Streets with Kansas's vocalist Steve Walsh), Seventh Key released an acclaimed self-titled debut but then went dormant again due to the member's previous commitments. The group resurfaced in 2004, with the compelling album, The Raging Fire, and a live CD/DVD the following year.

I Will Survive, with its prophetic title, re-establishes Greer and Slamer’s commitment to the band, Seventh Key. "I wanted to do more music with Mike," said Greer. "We have a great friendship and we have a strong work ethic. When we get in the studio, things seem to always click."

Part of Seventh Key's musical magic comes in its ability to effectively blend both melodic hard rock and intricate progressive music. They deliver powerful songs and production values that always include big sonic landscapes.

I Will Survive is scheduled for release on Frontiers Records on November 1st 2013 in Europe and November 5th in North America.

 

SEVENTH KEY IS:
Billy Greer : Bass, Lead Vocals
Mike Slamer: Guitars, Keyboards, Programming
Chet Wynd: Drums

Special Guests:
David Ragsdale: Violin
Billy Trudel, Terry Brock, Bobby Capps, Barry “The Blade” Johnson: Background vocals
David Manion: Keyboards

Produced and mixed by Mike Slamer

 

 

 

 

 

Tracks:

 

I Will Survive

Lay In On The Line

I See You There

It’s Just A State Of Mind

Sea Of Dreams

Time And Time Again

When Love Sets You Free

Down

The Only One

What Love’s Supposed To Be

I Want It All

 

 

 

[Jez]

Great band!!

[KarpetRydOFunk]

Damn! Sounding fantastic.

[Stefan]

Samples:

 

[Swazi]

Awesome ! I will get this one pronto !

[Stefan]

Excellent!

 

 

[Jez]

Fantastic song, fantastic harmonies. Can't wait for the album

[KarpetRydOFunk]

Shit video, but DAMN!! Work of Art has got their work cut out for them, if they plan to take number one slot this year, 'cause, if the rest of the album is like this song, I think we just found our number one.

[Glen]

Just heard 2 new WoA songs at Firefest and they were AWESOME. Instant class AOR.

 

But I love this song too ;-)

[KarpetRydOFunk]

Just heard 2 new WoA songs at Firefest and they were AWESOME. Instant class AOR.

 

But I love this song too ;-)

 

Say what you want about the releases of 2013, so far, but I have a feeling it's gonna finish strong.

[Shawn Of Fire]

Killer stuff....always like 7K & Greer....

[Stefan]

I'm listening to the new album right now on Spotify. I'm halfway through and

GODAMMIT the album sounds great. No, it sounds awesome!

 

This is gonna land pretty high on the list of 2013 releases for those with good taste.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

This is gonna land pretty high on the list of 2013 releases for those with good taste.

So not very many. ;}

[Stefan]

 

This is gonna land pretty high on the list of 2013 releases for those with good taste.

So not very many. ;}

 

 

I'm afraid so...or do you mean not on my list?

[KarpetRydOFunk]

 

 

This is gonna land pretty high on the list of 2013 releases for those with good taste.

So not very many. ;}

 

 

I'm afraid so...or do you mean not on my list?

 

 

Contrary to popular belief, I don't dislike you, Stefan,

[melodicrockoz]

Hmmmm..... I'm not digging this Seventh key tune as much as I so wish... Hope the album changes that.

[Glen]

Hmmmm..... I'm not digging this Seventh key tune as much as I so wish... Hope the album changes that.

 

The album is good, but I prefer The Theander Expression.

[Nightrain]

Honestly, the album didn't do much at the first spin, but getting better on the second, although I don't see how it's rated highly because there are about 4-5 pretty weak / average tracks here. Amazing musicianship indeed but the first track, 'I Will Survive', just fell short and can't reach the 8/10 mark. 'Lay In On The Line' is even worst, the chorus is quite dull. Luckily, 'I See You There' fix the situation, a great slow-tempo ballad here. 'It's Just A state of Mind' is worth around 7.5 or 7.75, and the next two are pretty awesome. 'Sea of Dreams' is a nice acoustic/violin stuff, and 'Time and Time Again' is also stunning, the chorus is magical.

 

Going to the second half, overall still quite patchy. There are weaker moments such as 'Down', but on the contrary, 'The Only One' is spectacular. The energetic melodic riffs combined with a flawless chorus makes it a solid 10/10 track and the best song here. 'What Love's Supposed To Be' is also another enchanting ballad and the extra violin touch is also beautiful. The last track didn't do much and sadly, that and several others brought the score down. Production is very big here, at least a 9 or 9.5. Musicianship also deserved at least 9, but too bad the replay value perhaps dragged down around 7.5.

For me, it's still a worth-listening album, but didn't have the strength to compete in the top 20 of this year.

 

80%

[Glen]

Over hyped. Your rating of 80% is about right, maybe 75-80%.

[zacharyamelie]

Over hyped. Your rating of 80% is about right, maybe 75-80%.

 

Funny this is sitting at 2 or 3 on my top of the year list. Excellent release.

[Glen]

 

Over hyped. Your rating of 80% is about right, maybe 75-80%.

 

Funny this is sitting at 2 or 3 on my top of the year list. Excellent release.

 

 

the playing and production are second to none..........the choruses / hooks.......not quite hitting the mark. There's nothing on this album to compete with the likes of 'Sun Will Rise' or 'Always From The Heart'.

[heaven&hell]

This is the first place I've read slightly negative comments about this release. I don't have it so I can't comment but I do like the single/video.

[Stefan]

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzu3Doe6gI0

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0upFo96Sco

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjZIK9KP0dQ

[AlphaMale]

I didn't like this release at all.

[Swazi]

I LOVE it !!