Well, this CD is a rather "troublesome  situation... Being not familiar with the band's previous recordings, it definitely is not easy to judge Seventh Avenue having heard their newest CD only once or twice. And this, because the easy conclusion that places the band in the "average Euro-Power Metal is not at all fair. Let's move on...
"Digging a little bit in the Net "treasure chest, Seventh Avenue was formed in 1989 in Germany. Inspired by the likes of compatriot legends Helloween, adding the "taste of US Christian Metal acts like Whitecross and Bloodgood (where the hell did they remembered them???...), the band put out their debut effort "Rainbowland in 1995. Signing with Treasure Chest Records, three more albums came out - "Tales Of Tales in 1996, "Southgate in 1998 and the "Goodbye mini-CD in 1999 - bringing the band a well-respected success in Japan and South America (Megahard Records bought the license to issue the band's CDs in Brazil). Yet, the critical point for Seventh Avenue was as the band signed to European premier Metal label Massacre Records in 2003. "Between The World (vocal lines produced by Rage's Victor Smolski, assisted by Heaven's Gate mainman Sascha Paeth) "pushed the quartet's fame - Massacre's support in promoting and distribution had a "venerable credit - and a successful Brazilian tour took place afterwards. So, in year 2004 Seventh Avenue strike back with their latest effort-to-date seeking for their "slice of the pie in the demanding European market. Hmmm... interesting...
Written in the band's official site: "Seventh Avenue will remain true to their style: pure, classic Heavy Metal. There are still many melodies to play and many riffs to polish. The band will rise to the challenge and enrich the music scene with their music. My humble ears see it this way: The band is surely "running away from their US influences (I say so judging from the band's bio...) and are more in the vein of German/Scandinavian Metal bands. The vocals and some guitar harmonies brought to my mind the early works of my all-time fav Pretty Maids, whereas the rhythm section (rhythm guitars/bass/drums) are strongly influenced by the likes of mid-era Helloween & Running Wild ('speed' sector) and Rage ('mid-up-tempo' parts). Herbie's voice is very distinctive - raw in some songs and high-pitched in others - and colorful and many guitar-work ideas present a personal "touch, not willing to copy acknowledged bands. It was surprising good that no track is present asfiller, yet I couldn't recognize a future "hit also.
"Eternals - produced by Herbie Langhans, vocal lines produced by Victor Smolski, mastered by Sascha Paeth and cover artwork-ed by Peter Gundlach - could really be a little bit "heavier sounding, though there's no important complaint in terms of "guitars-on-front-and-bass-buried status. I guess things would be better with a more dynamic sound. In contrast, the cover artwork is simply majestic, colorful and in the usual great Euro-Power vein (all the band's covers are A-class, as I discovered).
If you are into "Euro-Power-meets-Classic Metal, check out the band's Eternal. It seems they're not the average band of this "wretched genre. At least, they follow neither the Hammerfall-ish polished path nor the Iced Earth-ed dead-end track. The band has worked hard, it's obvious. Well-done guys!!!