New Years Eve 2021 went out with an incredible bang. SEVEN SPIRES put on a show that really gave a great end to 2021 and an even better kick off to 2022. This was their long-awaited return to the stage after almost two years of cancelled tours and restrictions. In 2021, they had tours booked supporting INSOMNIUM and ONMIUM GATHERUM to start the year, then with AMARANTHE later. They got to play one show and then were forced to stop.

This was immensely tough on the fans. I cannot imagine how difficult it was for the band. I dare not try to put myself in their shoes as I'm a fan, but that is their livelihood. Fortunately, SEVEN SPIRES survived the pandemic. The loss of this incredibly talented band would have been a serious tragedy. The individual members worked on a variety of projects, broadening their skills and become better, more well-rounded musicians and people.

JACK KOSTO, guitarist extraordinaire, went behind the music to start mixing, He also played on the new THREADS OF FATE release planned for March 2022. Chris Dovas put out one solo record and has a second in the works. He also played on THREADS OF FATE's new disc. Peter de Reyna did it all, working on at least a dozen different records during the pandemic. Adrienne Cowan performed vocals on Sascha Paeth's MASTER OF CEREMONY and keyboards/backing vocals with WINDS OF PLAGUE.

There was also a lot of practice and working on things both personal and professional. 2020-2021 was a complete cluster duck of a time that took its' toll on everyone, but it seems to have hit the music industry really hard. Especially the performers. Most that I have met or spoken with, not that that is a huge number, live for the stage. Not necessarily for the fame, though. Their creations are meant to be shared with those they love, the friends and fans that have a relationship unique to the affairs of the heart between player and listener.

Adrienne and Peter, the two who spoke the most from the stage, both echoed this sentiment, explicitly thanking the people in attendance for coming out and helping them rekindle that mutual love of all the glory that is your favorite band playing live. The crowd, the volume, meeting new people and just talking everything music.

Before the show even started, the crowd gathered outside Sonia, the music venue, in Cambridge, Massachusetts on a semi-warm night. It was in the 40's, warm for this area. I chatted with fans from near and far. Before the show, I spent most of my time talking to James Delbridge of LYCANTHRO. This guy came from Canada to see the show. And he was not the one who traveled farthest. That was the guy from Norway. Maybe the woman from Seattle, Washington. I would have to map those distances to know which if farther.

Inside, I spoke to the three members of the band STORMSTRESS, all who came out to support their friends in SEVEN SPIRES. Jon Pyres was there as a guest vocalist. ICE GIANT, another Massachusetts based band, was repped there. This tells me that SEVEN SPIRES is an incredibly well-respected band in the community.

I spent time talking to the band members throughout the night as well. They were wandering around answering their fans prayers (get it, Wanderer's Prayer... well, it was funny to me). They chatted with friends and fans alike. On top of being world class musicians, they are also really nice people. Very gracious and generous with their time. The way they interacted with the fans is amazing. They posed for pictures, took selfies and just generally paid attention to the people who think the world of them.

The other three bands that played last night were all great to hear as well. Stepping in at the last minute was DZO-NGA (https://www.facebook.com/dzongalives/), playing their blackened folk music. Next was SHADOWSTRIKE (https://www.facebook.com/ShadowStrikePower/), a Long Island, New York based power metal outfit. Then came the ever-effusive LORDS OF THE TRIDENT (https://www.facebook.com/lordsofthetrident/), a power metal band from Madison, Wisconsin. All three bands melted faces and played their collective hearts out.

Those three bands, all excellent in their own rights, set the stage for the headliners. SEVEN SPIRES came out and played 19 songs from all three of their albums. They played for almost two hours and could not stop thanking the fans for coming out and participating, for taking their time to get together on a New Years Eve in a small in Massachusetts for a once in a lifetime event. Adrienne was truly moved by all the support and love sent the bands way.

The entire band interacted with the crowd, even the drummer during hid EPIC solo. Adrienne and Peter handled most of the vocals, with the exception of when Jon Pyres came on stage to absolutely woo the crowd with their live rendition of "The Unforgotten Name." To see two phenomenal singers harmonize in both clean and growled vocals something to behold. Especially when you consider the song is mostly a ballad with growls. How cool is that???

Besides the vocals, there was Jack on guitars. This guy is a modern guitar god. He can shred, he can be melodic, he can vary his picking styles, handles a tremolo bar like a lover handles their favorite person. Peter on bass is so far beyond fantastic it is hard to describe with human words. The two-hand tapping, the forms he makes with his hand to hit all the notes he hits at the same time or in sequence... all so freaking impressive. And Chris makes the Energizer Bunny jealous. He has to approach 300 BPM at times. I'm not sure though, I can't count that fast.

The sound of the show had a couple of hiccups. No one cared though. The crowd still screamed and cheered and clapped and threw their horns in the air. For the encore, they even brought out little electric candle lights and swayed in time to the music. The band collectively gasped at that gesture. They took the time to thank the fans for dressing in clothing inspired by the music and themes of the lyrics.

After two years off stage and the struggles that ensued, financial, physical and emotional, the band seemed to finish with what can only be described as a collective catharsis. Some of the attendees stated this was their first show back to live music and that this was the absolute best way to make a comeback. They were not wrong. Band and fans alike both seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after the show. Everything they had waited for just happened, and it was beautiful. They missed us and we missed them. This was a reunion of sorts.

During the afterparty, the band again circulated and the fans mingled. We swapped stories of meeting the band, or how we got turned on to them in the first place. Some in attendance found them on streaming media, others by playing at a show with them somewhere or another. My personal introduction to them was seeing Adrienne sign backing vocals for AVANTASIA. No matter how we found them, the main thing is, we did find them.

As a band, this is four incredible musicians. Each is spectacular in their own right. They are all amazing. Put them together and something magical happens. They become greater than the sum of their parts. They make music that is beyond anything else out there right now. Then, factor in that they are just genuinely nice people, and you have a perfect mix.

I know this show was a one-off, never to be repeated. That is part of what made it so special on a mild New Years Eve near Boston, Massachusetts as we continue trying to climb out of the wreckage of the last two years. My favorite band played an incredible show to an adoring crowd and they did something not a lot of bands will do. They took the time to interact with us. They told us how grateful they are for us and we got to say the same to them. I left feeling, well, "Serenity."

1. Wanderer's Prayer
2. Gods of Debauchery
3. The Cursed Muse
4. Succumb
5. Lightbringer
6. The Paradox
7. Serenity
8. The Unforgotten Name
9. Shadow on An Endless Sea
10. Drowner of Worlds
11. In Sickness, In Health
12. Drum Solo
13. Every Crest
14. Gods Amongst Men
15. Unmapped Darkness
16. No Words Exchanged
17. Fearless
18. Dare to Live
Encore
19. This God Is Dead