Sweden. Great bands (be it AOR, Doom or extreme Metal), professional productions, excellent vocals and an - in general - trustworthy status. Talisman's new album - simply entitled as 7 - does not fall short (again) of our expectations. Sixteen years of discography and the good music rolls on, the way they and we like. Thank you guys!
'Melodic Hard Rock' as a term can fairly be credited due to the Swedish quintet's existence. Cats And Dogs - released three years in prior - did preserve the Talisman legacy, even if it was not as good as this one. The bad thing with Talisman - its members foolin' around with a dozen of other bands/projects at the same time (especially the vocalist!) - has always been related to the ever going rumors about if and when they'd release their next album. Then, a CD is issued and we clap with relief. Well, Marcel Jacob (the talisman) did eventually grab Soto again by the balls, nailed him in the studio and 'forced' him to sing again with him for 7. And - thankfully - the instinct proves to be faultless.
Jacob may stated that 7 might simply be our best [record] ever but let's not chat about enthusiasm and objective truth. 2006 sees Talisman releasing a good album - one step below excellence - featuring eleven tracks full of energy, interesting grooves, supreme Soto's vocals, great 'back up' singing and notable instrumentation. As usual in the Talisman tradition, funky grooves are present here and there, but - overall - the hard rockers are in good 'shape'. Fredrik Akesson (Arch Enemy) and Jamie Borger (ex-Treat) collaborate 'deeply' with the main duo, leading to a rather 'fresh' album.
7 did already rate itself on a ten-scale grading. No more to be mentioned. A good release - no need to proceed to a song-by-song analysis - that will please the band's devotees. Still, not equal to 'classic' Talisman releases.