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Thunder Seven

Triumph - Thunder Seven Audio CD

A fair review of the Triumph "Thunder Seven" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Triumph reviews here, or go back to the Triumph tabs.

Band: Triumph
Title: Thunder Seven
Rating:

Release Date: 1995-09-06
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Spellbound 2: Rock Out, Rock On 3: Cool Down 4: Follow Your Heart 5: Time Goes By 6: Midsummer's Daydream [Instrumental] 7: Time Canon 8: Killing Time 9: Stranger in a Strange Land 10: Little Boy Blues [Instrumental]

best cd from Triumph
If you like power trios and arena rock, this is it!! Also, if you're a guitar player, this is a DON'T MISS ALBUM. This is hands down the best CD from the band Triumph. Rik Emmett is amazing and his instrumental here is fantastic. That, to me, is worth the price of the album. Great writing and amazing performance. If you like Rush, you will like Triumph.

Classic Triumph record!! BUY NOW!
Let me tell you about it. This is a record I fell in love with back in 1985, when it was released, and I still adore it to this day.

Triumph has always been the "poor man's Rush"; hailing from Canada and being a 3-piece band, there are many similarities between the two powerhouse acts. Over the years, Triumph has been a bit more straight forward than Rush. Sacrificing abstract, "artsy" lyrics, for a more straight forward approach, Triumph would occasionally find themselves on shaky ground lyrically. "Thunder Seven" has almost no lyrical flaws, and the dramatic lyrical approach sets a definitive mood on each track. This is, arguably, the band's finest hour.

Rik Emmett. Mr. Rik Emmett. This is his record. Although a great team effort, "Thunder Seven" is a sensitive, rollicking, majestic, and poignant album because of Emmett's showstopping musicianship. With two instrumentals, one of a classical nature ("Midsummer's Daydream") and one of a jazzy blues style ("Little Boy Blues") highlighting the record, Rik Emmett is perfect. His vocals on the record are astonishing also. Singing with style and fervor, he goes "out on a limb" here. Sometimes lacking tremendous power and range, his vocal abilities always seemed systematic, or "charted" on previous releases. This record showcases not only his gorgeous guitar mastery, but it also maximizes his vocal abilities like never before. Listen to songs like "Time Goes By" and "Cool Down", and you are impressed with the passion and charisma that his vocals lend to those tracks. Listen to "Time Canon", an operatic masterpiece with beautifully layered vocal tracks, and be blown away. Rik Emmett takes a chance here, vocally, and rises to the challenge wonderfully. A duet with drummer Gil Moore, on the fantastic "Killing Time" track, was also a wonderful idea that worked beautifully. Gil Moore takes on a great deal of the vocal duties on the record, actually, and he does a fine job also.

Needless to say, the rhythm section of rock solid drummer Gil Moore, and the stiff backbone of bassist Mike Levine is flawless. This is just typical for them. Triumph has always been able to depend on their musicianship, even when their writing has faltered at times. All the things you love about this band appear on this record in force. The best lyrics they've ever written are here; Rik Emmett's guitar playing and vocals are even better than they usually are; and these are the finest arrangements in the band's career. "Thunder Seven" is a wonderful record, made by amazing musicians performing at their highest levels.
Let me just tell you that this record truly is . . . a triumph.
For more Dr. Music reviews, visit www. new-sounds. com/DrMusic.

This one is a Triumph
Its too bad triumph isnt still making music together. Anyone who likes 80's rock has got to be impressed with this effort.
This is one of those CD's which dosent really have a bad track, all of them especially Time Goes By are very well done.
I was at the world 7 tour in support of this album and had a total blast, Triumph really came through. I give it 5 stars.

Head and shoulders above pack
Thunder 7 is one of those albums that was better than what Rush put out at the same time. While Rush is often sited as Canada's number one power trio, it is my firm opinion that for a brief period of time in the middle to late 80's Triumph put out superior material. In fact, this entire album is amazing. Not only does it contain a bona fide balls out rocker in "Spellbound", which hooked me from the very first listen, but also a "supporting cast" of other great rock and roll tunes. The fact that these guys spent their entire careers in Rush's shadow is both a sick twist of fate and an outright tragedy.

Mike
Probably the best Triumph album next to Just a Game and Allied Forces. 37 years old now and still love Thunder 7. But they are all good. I have all but one or two albums that I bought
in the 80's when they were released and will eventually pick up some on CD. I still remember hearing Spellbound on the radio after work and the song still reminds of a girl I really dug in that period (hi Melanie). Enough drivel.

I agree with a lot of the reviewers that this is a really good album and every track is enjoyable. Even the semi-cheesy Follow Your Heart, which featured some of Triumph's great inspirartional, almost religious lyrics, which is one of the things I alway liked about the band. Ricky's songs were always the hits but Gil has one of the best pure rock voices and probably the best singing drummer in all of rock.

Rik soars with his maastery of all styles of music.
A great semi-overlooked guitarist and his voice is phenominal.
To the reviewer who said his voice does not stand the test of time, must think Aretha Franklin is irrelevant too.

Triumph is one of the bands a I grew up on and they take me back to a happy, somwewhat stoned, period of my life. Great in concert. Hard to believe bands like this use to be played on MTV. I still have my 1983 Never Surrender concert shirt in the top drawer of my dresser. Had the pleasure of seeing Rik
at a guitar clinic here in Atlanta some come 14 years ago and he was as nice as he is talented. A lot respect for the man, father and musician. Later that evening there was an impromptu jam at a local club that featured Rik, Vivian Campbell and local musicians including Atlanta guitar god Barry Richman. Rocky Mountain Way had the place rockin'!.

You can see a complete list of all Triumph discography, or go back to the Triumph tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.