SEVENTH SEAL is a female fronted Power Metal band from Italy  that releases the second full length album under the Epic title The Sacred Test through My Graveyard Productions.
Judging by the album artwork, the female singer and the band's ancestry is logical for one to think that this is another RHAPSODY wanna-be. Fortunately this thought is immediately cleared away as the homonymous opening track enters. This song has a galloping MAIDEN-esque rhythm, sing-along chorus and some really nice twin guitar hooks. Chiara is not the classic soprano-like singer and actually has a timbre that sometimes reveals some Doro influences. I was really impressed with her high pitches that come with power and stamina that fit like a glove the Epic up tempo atmosphere in songs like Lucifer's Cry and the fast paced The Seventh Seal. During the latter song the twin guitars show some impressive leads and 'hearty' legatos that gently reveal some underlying JUDAS PRIEST influences. The album closes with the 9 minutes of impressive and definitely MADIEN song A Wind From The West and a cover version to DIO's Holy Diver that follows the original with no changes at all. Well, Chiara deserves some additional credit for doing a very good job against the best voice in the Metal history (at least I think it is).
Generally, the production meets the standards of this music genre but I think it kind of fails when it comes to the sound of the drum kicks that sound almost 'plastic.'
All in all, this a 'classic' Italian Power Metal release that is ready to satisfy all the fans of this scene. SEVENTH SEAL seem to know exactly what they want and how to get it making an album with very good compositions although they are not that original.