Out of all the albums I have currently reviewed for Metal Temple, this is the first one I have received that falls into the AOR category. As someone who has a soft spot for the AOR and Melodic Rock genre, I was quite pleased to get sent something in this genre. Originally formed in the late 80's, SEVEN was made up of members from the South African band FACE TO FACE who all originated from Bournemouth in the UK.

Only having recorded two singles when they first formed, SEVEN disbanded after a series of struggles and argument's which led to their inevitable break up in 1990. Since the split, it was rumored that they had recorded a full length album but it was never released as Polydor Records had shelved it. This was quickly corrected when it was revealed that SEVEN were only signed for two singles and not a full album although they did have one albums worth of material from high quality demos.

Fasting forward to the present day and SEVEN are back with their original line-up to release their first ever self titled debut album released on Escape Music. So, the big question is, should SEVEN have reformed or should they have split up and kept it that way for good? Let us dive in and find out which one it should be.

The recipe for a great AOR or Melodic Rock album is quite simple. It needs to sound, well, Melodic in all the songs and the same is said for the instruments including the guitars, drums, bass, keyboards and most importantly, the vocals. Put that all together and BOOM! You have yourself a recipe for perfection. So, have SEVEN got that recipe for perfection or a recipe for disaster?

As I mentioned earlier, I have listened to a lot of AOR and Melodic Rock bands and I love all of them as they are what I look for when it comes to finding great music. I am very happy to report that SEVEN have a great recipe for perfection in their long awaited debut album since they split almost a quarter of a century ago. Being apart for that long will give you time to keep an ear out for music that is in the genre you are in so you know what you need to sound like in order to keep up with the best of the best.

So where does that leave SEVEN? Well they did the right thing by splitting when they did and waiting for the right time to reform as their debut album sounds exactly like a modern AOR or Melodic Rock album should. I know that Britain has produced a lot of great Rock bands over the years that fall into many different categories but SEVEN now have the right to join the elite in the AOR and Melodic Rock scene.

From the opening track "Shoot To Kill" to the closing number "Say Goodbye" along with a whole host of upbeat numbers and ballads in between such as "Diana", "Headlines", "America", "Thru the Night" and "Never Too Late", the long awaited debut album from SEVEN is nothing short of AOR and Melodic Rock perfection filled with catchy hooks and plenty of melodic harmonies that will put a smile on your face. Highly recommended if you like your AOR and Melodic Rock.