This is what Power Metal should sound like in the year 2017. This is what Power Metal *needs* to sound like in 2017. Speedy, heavy, aggressive without miring in clotting gloom, high melody High Fantasy in the vein of PM godfathers: Helloween. Seven Kingdoms have taken up the banner; interesting that if they're able to run with it, then the future of this primarily Euro-grown genre will be out of Florida, a place commonly associated with psychopaths, snappy fashions, and vacations (not unlike Dorn). At a glance, it would be easy to dismiss Seven Kingdoms as fame-seeking opportunists, with a bunch of thick Florida guys behind a comely female singer, building their image - - right down to the band name - - around one of the hottest genre properties of the day: Game of Thrones (George R.R. Martin's Fantasy novels made insanely popular by its HBO series). I won't waste much ink on these kinds of premature dismissals; I'll just warn the reader to get past any such misgivings and listen to the music. The GoT lyrics seem to be borne out of a passion for the source material, not a desire to cash in on a trend. The vocal harmonies and guitar harmonies weave pretty with strength, with the ceaseless, insistent Speed Metal heartbeat of the snare and double-bass propelling the blood through the veins. Ultimately, though, it's as simple as this: the songs are well- written and have plenty of replay value. Try and get "Rats in the Walls" out of your head after listening. "Kingslayer" and "The Faceless Hero" are also excellent.

With the 2017 release of "Decennium," Seven Kingdoms are 10 years and 4 full-lengths into their careers, but they still feel like one of the brightest rising stars of the Metal community. Anyone who heard the 2016 EP, "In the Walls," which was primarily of preview of "Decennium," knew that big things were on the horizon for Seven Kingdoms.