SEVEN CIRCLES (E)

The seventh studio album by the superb Canadian heavy but progressively rocking trio The Tea Party was released late September 2004. Jeff Martin (vocals, guitar), Stuart Chatwood (bass, keyboards) and Jeff Burrows (drums) had a break for nearly four years. Now, they're back with Seven Circles, an excellent album full of rich melodies, atmosphere, melancholy, lots of power, really nice hooks and extremely solid compositions. Martin’s vocals are very distinctive and can be considered to be the band's trademark. Sometimes his voice reminds me of the late Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy), but then far more powerful. The pile driving opener Writing's On The Wall is a track I will cherish for a long time, but the beautiful sensual track Ocean being a tribute to their deceased manager Steve Hoffmann, is also one of the highlights. Some Middle Eastern influences can be heard in Luxuria that also has some resemblances with Led Zeppelin. Certainly the spirit of that famous British band can be heard throughout Overload. Semi-acoustic and thus pretty different is the track Coming Back Again. In The Watcher the band sounds like an ensemble playing for an elderly audience at the beginning, but the track evolves into a nice and smooth rocking ballad. It’s a pity that The Tea Party has all ready split up, because I would have loved to see these guys live!