Review by Adam M on July 15, 2015.

Sirenia perform symphonic heavy metal that is largely atmospheric in nature. The album does differentiate itself highly from Nightwish, for example, because of a more gothic aura. The Seventh Life Path probably shares more in common with early Within Temptation.

Some of the operatic moments take some getting used to, but eventually overcome the listener with power and grace. The songs feature a good deal of melody that delightfully combine with these opera moments. The result is a group of tracks that are vibrant and poignant. However, there is an issue with the album lacking originality and an inventive twist. It is very much surpassed by something like The Silent Force and one could foresee more expansion in the future improving the material found here. Still, with repeated listens the symphonic moments begin to mould into more interesting thoughtful musical moments. One might underestimate the complexity of the music on first listen. This is certainly an album that is more rewarding on future listens than some other female-fronted bands.

In a manner akin to Epica, there is a lot of musical directions that require time to appreciate. Once everything is put into place, Sirenia’s music is able to have an impact, however. The portions involving symphony stick out more from the remainder of them. Overall, the effect of the album is a pleasant and involving one after a few repeated listens. Still, in comparison to The Silent Force or If_Then_Else, this album comes up a bit short. More practice might make this band be able to stand up to the best works of Within Temptation or The Gathering. As it stands, The Seventh Life Path is still an interesting listen.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10