Seventh Avenue may not exactly be a super popular band in the scene nowadays, but long before Theocracy ever entered the studio to record their blockbuster debut, the absolute masters of all things speedy and melodic in power metal were none other than Seventh Avenue. The original members ditched their first project, The Preachers, and then after a few years released their debut, Rainbowland, which would feature their signature sound that would dominate the rest of their discography: a powerful (even if often a bit predictable) meld of Iron Maiden and Helloween.
Tale of Tales was their sophomore effort, and was a solid blend of their fiery power metal cuts along with a few ballads to round out their sound. The strength of this album basically comes down to its uncanny ability to lodge its hooks into so deep into your brain that you couldn't pull them out with a pair of pliers. Whether it's the catchy vocals or the crafty guitar riffs, this album is guaranteed to get your head moving.
There are a couple common critiques of Seventh Avenue, and both are admittedly legitimate. The first is that their sound is highly derivative. And let's be real here; it really is. But that shouldn't be an automatic deal-breaker as every band in existence is derivative to some degree. But sometimes one band's paying tribute to another can get really iffy, like in the song "Time" where the guitarist breaks right into the magnificent riff from Maiden's classic "Genghis Khan". Influence is one thing, but this is a little much.
The second criticism of Seventh Avenue is that, as far as metal bands go, they're just too happy. True enough, they do spend the majority of their time in those major modes, but really this just boils down to taste, and there are plenty of examples of the classic metal giants who did exactly this. Sure, if you go into metal expecting everything to sounds as dark as "Black Sabbath" or as haunting as "The Ripper", then Seventh Avenue is going to be a bit of a change. But then you remember that the same bands also gave us "After Forever" and "Living After Midnight". Seventh Avenue basically just built an entire discography on this model.
With a resurgence in Christian power metal albums in t
... keep reading on reddit ➡Hey Reddit, I'm from Brooklyn, specifically Sheepshead Bay. Got a good deal on an apartment from my boss on an apartment in Newark. I tried digging up info on it but it wasn't too reliable or had info from like 2012/2014 in terms of crime/safety. For those that live there, or know people that live there, what's it like? I'm not the type of person to travel at night if that helps. I went to visit a week ago and didn't really feel out of place or nervous, saw a few families walking around, etc, but I'd love to hear input.
