Seventh Wonder and Frontiers are happy to collect all pieces of the band’s history for these newly expanded reissues. Band member Andreas Blomqvist went through old notes and photos in the band’s own archives to jog their memories to ultimately share previously unknown stories about the songs, the writing process and the recording of these seminal Seventh Wonder albums.
“We in the band are super happy to share this news with you!” explains band co-founder/bassist Andreas Blomqvist. “I know many of you have been eagerly awaiting the return of our previous albums to streaming platforms and now that is happening. To also get all albums available on vinyl is really super cool and again something I know a lot of you have been asking about. It was also a lot of fun to sit down and write the liner notes for the CDs, so be sure to check that out too for some previously untold stories. We are grateful to Fronters for making this happen!”
Seventh Wonder was formed in 2000 by bassist Andreas Blomqvist, guitarist Johan Liefvendahl, and drummer Johnny Sandin after their previous band fell apart. The music they were writing and playing quickly turned towards progressive metal. When keyboardist Andreas “Kyrt” Söderin joined in late 2000, their new sonic explorations were only cemented further. Two demos were recorded (2001 and 2003) and the latter caught the attention of the finnish label Lion Music, who signed the band in 2004. That collaboration spawned the first Seventh Wonder album, BECOME, which was released in June 2005. It was well received by progressive metal fans and media alike; however, the band and singer Andi Kravljaca decided to part ways shortly after the recording process ended. Enter the brilliant Tommy Karevik (Kamelot, ex-Vindictiv), who joined the band in 2005, actually prior to the official release of BECOME.
The next album, WAITING IN THE WINGS, was recorded in 2006 and mixed and mastered by legendary Tommy Hansen (Helloween, Pretty Maids, TNT, etc.). This album was a huge leap forward in terms of song complexity and maturity and received outstanding reviews and fan accolades, establishing Seventh Wonder as a force to be reckoned with in the progressive metal world. 2007 was spent playing live in support of the album, including sharing the stage with legendary bands such as Queensrÿche, Testament, Redemption, and many others in England, Holland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
Simultaneously in 2007, a follow-up to WAITING IN THE WINGS was written. The band hit the studio in May of 2008 to record their third full-length, MERCY FALLS, which was hailed as a true masterpiece at the time of its release. MERCY FALLS was supported with several live shows in Europe, including Italy, Norway, Finland, and Holland.
In 2010, the band released THE GREAT ESCAPE, which again was met with critical and fan acclaim and cemented the band's standing as one of the premiere progressive metal bands in existence. In support, the band again toured in Europe and also appeared live in the USA at ProgPower Festival.