Seven Spires: A Fortress Called Home
A Fortress Called Home
1 - A Fortress Called Home (1:54)
2 - Songs Upon Wine-Stained Tongues (7:46)
3 - Almosttown (5:02)
4 - Impossible Tower (6:14)
5 - Love’s Souvenir (6:49)
6 - Architect of Creation (5:32)
7 - Portrait of Us (4:46)
8 - Emerald Necklace (3:49)
9 - Where Sorrows Bear My Name (5:44)
10 - No Place for Us (4:55)
11 - House of Lies (4:43)
12 - The Old Hurt of Being Left Behind (6:50)
Full disclosure, Seven Spires is my favourite active band. As much as I would like to hand that crown to Blind Guardian, or Haken, or maybe someone else, the facts is the facts. Over the past two and a half years I haven’t listened to any artist more on Spotify. Fuller full disclosure, I support Adrienne Cowan on Patreon, as one of the few things I can afford to give my money monthly to. This is the high regard I hold for this band and my appreciation of their work, as was evident from the big fat asterisk to the top of my 2023 List. It is safe to say then, that I was beyond excited for their fourth full-length: A Fortress Called Home. What does this foursome of Berklee nerds have to offer this time around?
First impressions reveal that this is Seven Spires operating at full capacity. It has thick, fat sound with many layers that demands a good sound-system to get the full experience. The orchestral compositions are great as always, and interplay with the metal side in a way that isn’t overly bombastic or distracting as some “symphonic” metal bands tend to be. This album is front-heavy to be sure. Just banger after banger after banger on the first half. After the intro track it races out of the gates with the infectious Songs Upon Wine-Stained Tongues, featuring the vocal talents of Alessandro Conti to compliment Adrienne. Their voices really work well together and his parts are written very well to suit his voice. Next-up was the lead single Almosttown. I still find the title goofy as hell, but dang this song has grown on me. The chorus is catchy af, and that switch from growls to clean in the bridge is seamless, just as her “yeahs” lead perfectly into Jack’s solo. I think some appreciation for Jack Kosto is in order here, as he always manages to write earwormy solos that grab the main hook or melody and then dance around it and improvise.
“My mind is a museum of things held dear. My bones, a mausoleum for my grief”
From then on, the band shows their genre-bending prowess. You cannot put Seven Spires into any one box, as they will surprise you with a mish-mash of styles. Impossible Tower ventures into doom metal territory, with crunchy delectable riffs. Love’s Souvenir begins in dark-jazz mode, before Chris Dovas absolutely annihilates you with the blast-beats. The beginning of that song was a bit of a jarring shift at first, but I grow to love it more and more with each listen. I see why this is already a fan favourite. It features a delightful choral part in the center, but come on folks let’s clean up that Latin a little bit (where’s the object for sine?!). Architect of Creation is phenomenal in all its blackened death metal glory, and really shows the band’s ability to write interesting instrumental sections without having to shoehorn in a solo. That break after first chorus: wow! This is near tech-death levels of precision wizardry and I love it. I’ve been obsessed with it since it dropped as a single and it remains my favourite track on the record.
“Fear me! Love me! Do as I say!”
After that, at least on initial listens, is where A Fortress Called Home began to almost lose the plot a little bit for me. Things get a tad wonky lyrically on A Portrait of Us and Emerald Necklace, though musically I still enjoy both (even a bit folky on the latter, woo!). These seem very heartfelt, but don’t work as poetically as earlier tracks for me. Everything manages to hold interest though, and I’m never bored. However, I’m almost weary and ready for the close by the time Where Sorrows Bear My Name finishes, but we still get two more great cuts after that before hitting the closer The Old Hurt of Being Left Behind. I was somewhat worried going in, as this was my least favourite of the three singles released prior to the record, and didn’t know if it was strong enough to bring the album to a fitting conclusion. However, it grows on me with each listen, and I think it works well as the finale.
“Death was never so empowering. The days are gone of crying and cowering. I’ll bury both my pride and shame. I, the Architect of Creation!”
Individual band-members each shine in their own right. As said previously, Kosto’s solos are a delight, and honestly this album offers a lot more heavy riffage from the guitars than previous efforts. Peter de Reyna on the bass is subdued, but nonetheless felt, and when he takes his moments to shine through they always dazzle with his technical ability. Listen closely on the instrumental passages, he is going wild back there. I also assume he is on the upright bass and violin for the dark jazzy bits on Love’s Souvenir, both of which sound excellent. Departing drummer Chris Dovas puts in an amazing swan song for his tenure with the band. He is absolutely murdering the kit on the heavier sections, yet refrains from overplaying during the lighter bits. He will be missed to be sure.
As with any Seven Spires release though, the star of the show is vocalist Adrienne Cowan. The veritable queen of metal shows of her pipes yet again, and boy howdy does she! Her cleans are immaculate as she weaves haunting melodies, and her growls are aggressive and powerful. The harsh vocals are perhaps more in the fore-front as they have ever been for a Spires record, but the interplay between the two is great. I especially like the frequent doubling of the two, such as in the chorus of Architect of Creation and The Old Hurt Of Being Left Behind. I do wish we had more songs of just straight cleans a la Emerald Seas, as her singing voice is beautiful. She is a force to be reckoned with to be sure, not just because of her amazing voice, but her mature and thoughtful songwriting. She is the lyricist and composer here, and her talent really shines through. She writes catchy melodies that stay with you, and the lyrics are her most emotionally charged yet. Try to pay attention on one listen just to the orchestrations, it’s some of her best to date!
Keep the dream alive! Never bend or bow! Or you’ll join the lost souls in my Almosttown.
By way of criticism, I’m going to levy the same attack on this record as I did on Gods of Debauchery (which I also loved)...it’s too dang long. That critique is extra hard to make though, as I quite like every song on the record, but as a whole it seems too dragged out. What would you cut? Beats me! All I know is that I prefer the first half in general, and am a tad bit weary by the end. Maybe that’s the idea. I would also love for this band to be able to afford a real orchestra, which is a huge ask I know. It’s not that the programmed bits sound bad, but just imagining the full weight of an orchestra with this sound is exciting. However, on the production side everything sounds excellent (listened on six different sound systems), which is a credit to Jack Kosto for self-producing.
Lyrically, it is safe to say that this album is very personal, moreso than any other Spires release. Perhaps this is why I was having a harder time connecting with it than I did with Emerald Seas and the heights of Gods of Debauchery. Those records deal with similar themes and experiences, yet I could more easily insert myself into that story and character. Despite definitely sharing much of the sorrow she expresses here, in a weird way A Fortress Called Home felt at first like it wasn’t for me. It was as if I had invaded someone else’s sad story, and it made me uncomfortable. Indeed speaking with Adrienne about the record on a recent zoom chat brought her nearly to tears, and myself as well. There’s some real hurt in this one, and if you know it you know it. I let it rest a couple days and when I returned to it, everything clicked. Songs that had fallen more flat before suddenly made sense, and the album really works as a collective whole. It all culminates in The Old Hurt of Being Left Behind, which hits me some type of way now. It’s more a fortress, less of a home, as the opening track reminds you. It asks you to go down, deeper down through the years, past the fragmented memories.
“Will you help me find a way, out of the dark? Am I too late? Healing hurts, I’ve got to find: The old hurt of being left behind”
9/10
Top Tracks: Architect of Creation • Love’s Souvenir • The Old Hurt of Being Left Behind