Swedish melodic hard rockers Talisman return with their aptly titled seventh album and a long lasting lineup that features the talents of Jeff Scott Soto (Yngwie, Soul Sirkus, Journey), Marcel Jacob (Yngwie Malmsteen, Last Autumn's Dream), Fredrik Akesson (Arch Enemy), and Jamie Borger (Treat). How’s that for players?

With the release of their debut in 1990, Talisman’s roots combined arena rock guitars and vocals with doses of funk and soul (think Extreme) to create their uniquely charming sound. With "7", the soul is at its peek really and has just about overshadowed any remnants of hard rock/metal. 'Falling', 'Nowhere Fast' as Jeff says "Uhh", and 'Rhyme or Reason' contain Jeff Scott Soto’s soul drenched tone, Fredrik’s groovy riffs (even 1970’s sounding at times) and Marcel’s bouncing bass lines. 'The 1 I’m Living 4' is grounded in melody both Jeff’s voice and backing vocal harmonies and very much a trademark for these guys. Really a strong track and an excellent example of their sound and style which can be heard elsewhere throughout their catalogue. 'On My Way' follows with a very up tempo beat and high spirited chorus bringing the energy level up. Moving along, 'Troubled Water' does also have a quicker drum beat and once again showcases the bands soul more than anything. For something like 'Back to 2 the Feeling' you can hear Fredrik’s passionate lead abilities and it comes across for the ballad well.

Talisman’s "7" is not your usual fare for melodic hard rock if you are looking for something with hard driving guitars. "7" has a lot of groove instead of punch with great song writing and as said before soul.