Seventh Wonder Appreciation

[cramx3]

Excited for some new Seventh Wonder!

[ErHaO]

Great to hear! And thankfully quite soon 

Great news. Tiara was awesome, and it’ll be great to get a follow-up on a much shorter timetable. I would never have predicted in 2019 that this would be the next Tommy-Karevik-fronted band to release a studio album.

I believe Kamelot already had a lot of songs written for their new album and were ready to record back in like 2020, probably covid altered their plans heavily.

[cramx3]

Great to hear! And thankfully quite soon 

Great news. Tiara was awesome, and it’ll be great to get a follow-up on a much shorter timetable. I would never have predicted in 2019 that this would be the next Tommy-Karevik-fronted band to release a studio album.

I believe Kamelot already had a lot of songs written for their new album and were ready to record back in like 2020, probably covid altered their plans heavily.

I haven't seen much from Kamelot lately, but I also had assumed an album was going to be ready for 2022.

[425]

Great news. Tiara was awesome, and it’ll be great to get a follow-up on a much shorter timetable. I would never have predicted in 2019 that this would be the next Tommy-Karevik-fronted band to release a studio album.

I believe Kamelot already had a lot of songs written for their new album and were ready to record back in like 2020, probably covid altered their plans heavily.

I recall seeing something similar to this a while ago. Hopefully they finish it up soon. I'm probably in that minority that really liked The Shadow Theory, although Tiara was my preferred 2018 Karevik album.

[jingle.boy]

Great news. Tiara was awesome, and it’ll be great to get a follow-up on a much shorter timetable. I would never have predicted in 2019 that this would be the next Tommy-Karevik-fronted band to release a studio album.

I believe Kamelot already had a lot of songs written for their new album and were ready to record back in like 2020, probably covid altered their plans heavily.

I recall seeing something similar to this a while ago. Hopefully they finish it up soon. I'm probably in that minority that really liked The Shadow Theory, although Tiara was my preferred 2018 Karevik album.

Shadow Theory was the first Kamelot album I didn't purchase since I got in to Kamelot.  It was just too samey from Haven and Silverthorn.

[cramx3]

Yeah, it was a decent album but the similarities to Haven definitely hurt it.  Tiara was definitely my preferred Tommy album of the year, I think I even ranked it as my favorite album of the year.

And I'm glad we got to see them at ProgPower.  Who knows if I'll ever get a chance to see them again.

[425]

At this point (and really since Ghost Opera) Kamelot is a band that does one thing. They happen to do that one thing really well, and it happens to be a thing I really like, so I don't mind too much if they keep making more iterations of that one thing. I do hope that their next album is not Haven Part 3, but I don't expect anything innovative from them at this point.

Seventh Wonder, on the other hand, still feels like it has a lot of creative potential. They feel like a band that could still have their best album in them (whereas Kamelot's best album is your pick of Karma/Epica/The Black Halo, and nothing's coming along to change that). And, this may be controversial, but I think Tiara is my favorite SW album yet (the last three are all really close, though). So I'm glad to see that they're keeping the momentum going, and definitely look forward to new Seventh Wonder with great anticipation than I look forward to Sacrimony Part 4, despite the fact that I'll probably enjoy that, too.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Tiara was good, but I feel like it was tiers below The Great Escape. Still interested in hearing whatever they do next, but I'm not really expecting it to push past TGE.

[cramx3]

New single is out

Seventh Wonder - "Warriors" - Official Lyric Video

Pretty good single.  I just love hearing Tommy's voice.

[jingle.boy]

New single is out

Seventh Wonder - "Warriors" - Official Lyric Video

Pretty good single.  I just love hearing Tommy's voice.

Yeah, I spun that this morning, and thought it was quite good.

[425]

Yeah, I'd call that pretty good . It's pretty much what I expect from a Seventh Wonder single, but that's not at all a bad thing.

[425]

New single: The Light

Sounds pretty awesome.

[cramx3]

New single: The Light

Sounds pretty awesome.

Awesome, this album may be really good

[Deathless]

Woah. Wasn't expecting that. I dig it a lot more than the previous single. 

[Ben_Jamin]

That's a great song.

[Tomislav95]

I love both songs can't wait for the new album

[425]

Tommy did an interview with Elizabeth Zharoff of The Charismatic Voice (reaction YouTube channel run by an opera singer/vocal coach). As is usually the case with her interviews, they went into a lot of detail about the behind-the-scenes of singing and songwriting, which is definitely interesting to me even as a non-singer. They also talk a little about the new album at about the 1 hour mark. Tommy says that the sessions were 4 months, which is unusually fast for Seventh Wonder, and he reveals that while the new album is not strictly a concept album, they did follow the theme of writing each song about a different emotion.

They also talk about Kamelot (which is why I'm going to make a similar post in the Kamelot thread, too). Mainly, they discuss Tommy's experience taking over for Roy Khan. There's also a little bit on the new album, which Tommy apparently finished recording right before the Seventh Wonder sessions started, but he's pretty cagey about a release date for that, pretty much only committing to the album coming out before spring 2023.

[Tomislav95]

The new album is out classic Seventh Wonder, like it so far.
The Light is probably my favorite song out the year so far.

[Pettor]

The Light is awesome but The Red River is the song I didn't know I needed! LOOOOOVE IT.

I am not sure Prog fans understand how grateful we all should be for having such a gifted singer as Tommy choosing to dedicate his voice to this genre 😁 He could easily choose a mainstream path and have great success there. What a voice!

[425]

It usually takes a while for me to fully wrap my head around a Seventh Wonder album, and I haven't listened to it many times yet, but I'm enjoying it so far! The Red River is one of the non-singles that stands out most to me, along with Under a Clear Blue Sky, which feels pretty epic, and Elegy, which is really emotionally resonant with me.

[cramx3]

Yeah, I got it a bit late (ordered a physical copy because I am planning on bringing it to Progpower next year for Tommy to sign) but am really enjoying it so far.  The Light is indeed awesome, been stuck in my head.

[senecadawg2]

This album really drives home to me that Kamelot could be doing so much more with Tommy's voice. Fantastic Album. The Red River is probably my favorite track at the moment, but it's solid beginning to end

[425]

I said it yesterday, but I want to say again that I think Elegy is a gorgeous song. It's such a showcase of what Tommy is capable of, and it's a really heartfelt song. It's nice to hear a band from a traditionally masculine genre of music sing about the harm of the idea that display of emotion is unmanly—even if it's a band that's already known for being pretty openly emotional.

In his interview with Elizabeth Zharoff (posted above) they briefly discussed the possibility of Tommy doing a solo album, maybe an acoustic one, one day. I really hope he decides to do it. When you hear stuff like Elegy, like One Last Goodbye, like Beyond Today, like the acoustic version of Against the Grain, it's hard not to want more. Tommy has tons of great performances on heavier music, but man, he's just astonishing on acoustic material.

[cramx3]

Can't disagree with any of that, Tommy is my favorite vocalist

[Pettor]

Wow yes, Elegy. I never had the chance to listen to the album from start o finish until recently and finally heard Elegy. Daaaaaamn. Great song! Might be the most emotional one from SW so far for me. The subject really felt close to heart and Tommy is just once again showcasing why he might be the best in the genre. Wait, he is the best isn't he? 

Everytime I think of Seventh Wonder I think of songs like these where Tommy can just shine.

[cramx3]

So far this is my album of the year.

[Tomislav95]

So far this is my album of the year.

Same.

And The red river is awesome. No weak songs for me, really.

[Deathless]

I really enjoy this album because each time I listen to it I seem to have a new favorite song to listen to. With a lot of artists I really enjoy 4-5 songs and get burnt out on the rest, but for this one I'm enjoying a lot of different tracks. Good stuff.

[cramx3]

Welp

Tommy has announced his departure from Seventh Wonder.

Seems like all on good terms.  Band will continue without him and Tommy doesn't have the time to devote to them and mentioned exploring other music options...

From his facebook:

Dear friends and Seventh Wonder  supporters around the world. Tommy here. Respectfully, if I could please have a few minutes of your time.
There's no easy way to say what I am about say, so I will just come out and say it...
Moving forward, I will no longer be the singer of Seventh Wonder.
Man... I knew this was going to be very hard, but it was so much harder than I thought actually putting the pen to the paper...  Seeing the words written down makes me more than a little emotional.  I love the music we've made. I love my brothers in the band and I am so incredibly proud of everything we've managed to create for ourselves during the last 18 something years. Organically, we fought for our own little piece of real estate in the prog metal universe, put a fence around it and called it our own. Unique and uplifting progmetal with catchy choruses. Playful, poppy melodies and raw emotion. Someone once said we sounded like "Europe on steroids"...  I loved that description so that one stuck with me.
We were all boys that grew to be men alongside each other. Through celebrations and tragedies we supported each other. Some became fathers and husbands. Many of the absolute best moments and memories, not only in music but in life in general, we shared together. Nothing will ever take that away or diminish the importance of that for me.
I am a relentlessly stubborn person... I don't consider myself a quitter... I don't give up.. However I think it is important to understand when it is best to move on for the sake of your own progress and wellbeing as well as for the people around you. To move on is simply making room for the new things you want in life. That being said, I feel like I have done my part as a singer,  writer and coproducer of Seventh Wonder.  I have said what I wanted to say. I have spent all my energy, countless hours of blood sweat and tears, and poured my heart and soul into this band since day one, and It couldn't have been any other way. It is just the way I am wired.  But everything has a time and a place and it's time for me to let my creativity and energy flow in a different direction.
Bottom line is that we only have one life. That is true for everyone and I feel like I need to make room for all the music that I still have inside me. Music that makes me happy and that not yet have had an outlet. It is the best and most honest way I can contribute to the world. It's a new chapter of my life, and one that I am very excited about.
Seventh Wonder is definitely a part of my identity and that's never going to change.
I am so thankful that I got to be a part of the SW journey. Thankful to my bandmates for taking me in and believing in me all those years ago, and thankful for everything that it led to. It has very much shaped me into who I am today.
We sure have come a long way from that moldy stamp of a rehearsal space in Ulvsunda, and my somewhat unconventional audition of "Stad i ljus".  And we did it as a band... Together.
Lastly, I am thankful for all the beautiful friends and supporters that we, as a band, have had the honor of meeting along the way. Unconditional love is the best way I can describe it. Always there on the sidelines cheering us on, even through periods of time when there was seemingly very little to cheer for. You are some of the finest and most patient fans in the world and you are a huge reason to why this is so hard to write.
So goodnight, but not goodbye. Rest assured that you will be hearing a lot more from both me and SW in the future, as we will all keep following our hearts in pursuit of happiness through the arts.
There is no bad blood between me and the rest of the band as we keep being the best of friends, and I wish nothing but success and happiness for the guys moving forward.
Thanks for listening. I Love you all, and I hope to have your continued support and understanding.
With gratitude.
Tommy

[425]

This is unfortunate, but not all that surprising, I think. My understanding is that he's a full-time professional musician now, while the rest of the band is still not, and with that change there understandably comes some changes in priorities.

The way he's writing this doesn't come across like it's primarily about Kamelot (although that's undoubtedly a factor), but more that he wants to make time for a new kind of project (" I feel like I need to make room for all the music that I still have inside me. Music that makes me happy and that not yet have had an outlet"). Maybe something acoustic or more in the pop realm, based on what his interests seem to be?

It's sad that we won't get another SW album with Tommy, but I'm excited to see what he comes up with. And I'll continue to follow the band, of course—hopefully they can find a solid replacement.

[Evermind]

This is going to be difficult, because for me Tommy is Seventh Wonder.

That being said, let's see how it goes from here.

[gzarruk]

Sad news. I only started getting into SW sometime around last year, but I really enjoyed their stuff with Tommy and would take them before Kamelot any day, though the latter is most likely to be a lot more profitable for him.

[cramx3]

This was likely unsustainable once he joined Kamelot.  But he continued and made two more albums with them.  I'm grateful for what we got and I'm glad I got to see Seventh Wonder at ProgPower.  An example of how different their schedules are, even at that ProgPower show, I got to meet the entire band and get a selfie with Tommy during their meet and greet:



and then the next day, Tommy had already left to join the Kamelot tour but the rest of the band continued to hang out for the next day at the festival.  I asked them where Tommy was and they said he had to go.  Just shows that doing both is a huge commitment even if Seventh Wonder isn't very active.