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No Going Back

    
       
       
       
   

 

    
             
7HY (Seven Hard Years) are a British/American melodic hard rock band formed by ex Shy drummer Alan Kelly and former Line Of Fire vocalist Shawn Pelata, with the bands debut album, 'No Place In Heaven' released in 2014. Their second album, 'Stories We Tell' was released in 2016, and after the addition of multi instrumentalist and producer Andrew Chick, the bands third album 'For The Record' emerged in 2017. 'No Going Back' is the fourth 7HY album, due for a spring 2019 release, again featuring the trio of Kelly, Pelata and Chick, plus Danny Beardsley on lead guitar.    
             
Sunday, the seventh and final day of the week, is a day of rest for many, a day for catching up on household chores, or a day for watching your favourite local Sunday league football team in action, but for me, it's 7HY time... The transatlantic masters of melodic hard rock are back, with their fourth album in a little over four years, and this time around have shaped their musical direction to include the classic rock sound of the seventies and eighties. For fans of melodic rock, AOR and classic rock, 'No Going Back' is an essential addition to your collection, and will sit proudly alongside the likes of Journey, Foreigner, UFO and Tom Petty.    
             
So here in the UK this Sunday afternoon, the first real signs of summer have been seen, with glorious sunshine bathing the English countryside. And for anyone who likes to take a long lazy Sunday afternoon drive in the sun, remember to take your copy of the latest 7HY album for company. The melodic mastery oozing from every song on offer will make your drive a much more pleasant one. Hitting the ground running 'No Going Back' begins its journey with the anthemic foot tapper 'Stay Gone'. A glorious opening song to match the glorious weather, 'Stay Gone' is happy mood inducing, spreading a smile a mile wide over the faces of fans. And if you're not smiling by the time the second song 'Deep Dark Blue' marches into view, what in the darkest depths of hell is wrong with you? 'Deep Dark Blue' is a heavy rocker, a foot tapper, a mid eighties styled party anthem, and one to fall in love with. Singer Shawn Pelata is on fine form with a performance filled with emotion and passion. Title song 'No Going Back' brings a touch of blues rock to the album, a staggering emotionally charged stomp that will have you swaying from side to side, holding a loved one in your arms as you dance the night away. Every moment of this album is felt by the heart and soul, filling you up with love, making even the hardest of men and women go all gooey inside, Up tempo rocker 'Every Moment' is AOR at its finest. Catchy and infectious with a sing a long style chorus, this is one of the many highlights the album has to offer, with the next song, the best the album has to offer...    
             
"I'm still falling, every day for you, I'm still falling, for everything you do, I'm still falling, still falling for you, deeper in love, deeper in love with you" is just one of the most romantic serenades you could ever wish to, err, serenade your loved one with. 'Still Falling' is a most beautiful ballad, with so much emotion oozing from everywhere. So come on guys and gals, make that restaurant reservation now, give management a copy of this album, and inform them that song number five is to be played at the sign of your nod. What could go wrong? But surely the right question is, What have you got to lose? So go on, do it, and let me know what happens. 'Your Reality' injects energy, tempo and happiness into an already happy album. Melodic hard rock surely doesn't get any better than this, oh wait, there's still three songs to go...so maybe it does. 'Can't Trust The Radio' is for one of those late evening moments, where you've finished work for the day, had your dinner, cleaned up, opened that can of beer or bottle of wine, and you sit back and relax to 7HY, because you just can't trust the radio to deliver the right music to match your mood. 'Can't Trust The Radio' is a one hundred percent must for anyone who wants to wind down and relax. Quite the opposite can be said about 'I Love You'. Up tempo and heart felt, 'I Love You' is a request for an after dinner dance. Every couple present will thank you for this one, hugging each other tightly as they swish around the dance floor, feeling tingly all over. Now, I just wanna say a massive thank you to whoever invented the replay button, as this is a button you will be pressing very shortly, as the next song up is (sadly) the final song... 'Can We Try' is everything 7HY are, melodic hard rock with strong hints of AOR and blues rock. The last forty minutes have been an absolute pleasure, with 'No Going Back' an absolute treasure. And wherever you are while listening, be it driving, dancing or smooching across the dining table, you are guaranteed to feel all loved up.    
             
Overall, a superb offering, full of melodic mastery and astounding AOR, 'No Going Back' is a titanic, gigantic, mountain of beauty and love.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for 7HY    
             
             
Other Reviews    
             

           
           
Stories We Tell      
           
"a sparkling collection of AOR blended with hard rock, 7HY have delivered a cracking album, setting them on a path to global acceptance" Read Review      
     
     
     
           
             
             

           
           
For The Record      
           
"an album of varied musical styles, strongly rooted in the melodic AOR/hard rock genres, that will make you smile, foot tap and head nod from start to finish" Read Review      
     
     
     
           
             
             
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