Although I tend to dabble in extreme metal more often, make no mistake, I do love the traditional stuff. I have fond memories of my brother and I pouring over the lyrics to Iron Maiden‘s The Trooper until we could recite them flawlessly — a skill we both still keenly possess. Seven Sisters, a band thusly named for the area of North London they hail from, share my love of the classic craft, as evident on their second full-length, The Cauldron and the Cross. Helpings of Angel Witch and Paul Di’Anno’s brief flirtation with everyone’s favorite ferrous frau have generously been applied here, with a few speed metal bursts thrown in for good measure. Bands paying homage to the golden years aren’t exactly rare these days, but Seven Sisters actually appear more anachronism than revivalist, wielding some tastefully legitimate riffery. Misty-eyed odes to glory gained freely spill from the champion’s chalice, held aloft by each of these tenets of prime metal. Guitarists, Graeme Farmer and Kyle McNeill, clearly learned their craft by paying a strict ear to the emotional scales of one Dave Murray, summarizing the band’s NWOBHM character and never afraid to ply Maiden‘s penchant for duel harmonies. While chest-thumping legendarium is certainly the material’s thematic de rigueur, the songwriting talent on display is what absolutely pushes the band beyond the usual superfluous Swordporn… Great choruses, fluid transitions, and shredding lead-work serve to realize The Cauldron‘s musical ability, galvanizing the band’s retro roots beyond mere novelty. This album was my first experience of Seven Sisters, but having listened to their debut for context, I can happily report it to be a notable improvement and another fine addition to a heath, blasted with the soul-fires of classic metal bands, decades lost. I can’t, with any clear conscience, recommend this over Satan’s Hallow, but if the need to quest for honor, valor, pride and the immortality of your very name happens upon you, then a more than appropriate soundtrack lies in reach, lingering somewhere between The Cauldron and the Cross.
