Seven Hard Years (7HY): For the Record (Lion’s Pride)

Melodic rockers Seven Hard Years (a.k.a. 7HY) certainly didn’t waste any time getting a third album out. Just one year after releasing the very enjoyable Stories We Tell, 7HY is back with a new album titled For the Record. It finds former Shy drummer Alan Kelly (who also handles guitar, bass and keys here) continuing his collaboration with vocalist Shawn Pelata (Final Sign) as well as the arrival of guitarist Danny Beardsley (The Parallax Method).

Adding a guitarist like Beardsley with prog-worthy technial chops definitely added a layer to 7HY’s already rock-solid brand of melodic hard rock. The songs on For the Record are well-crafted and do a great job balancing catchy melodic hooks, huge choruses and a satisfying hard rock backbone. I think we’re officially past the “let’s compare this to Shy” stage. Kelly and Pelata have great chemistry, and the songwriting plays to their strengths. “Burning Rain,” “Can’t Let You Go” and “We Can Be Strong” are all good examples of the overall tone of For the Record and the 7HY sound in general. The 6-minute closer “What Is the World” ends things on a smooth, soulful, yet epic note that’s worthy of a Magnum album, and may be the album’s shining moment.

7HY continues to take their classic melodic rock influences and turn them into very solid, very enjoyable modern melodic rock albums. For the Record is their best effort to date, and is an album that fans of Foreigner, Inglorious, Snakecharmer, Farcry and melodic rock in general ought to enjoy.