SEVEN, a Final Fantasy VII Cover Album from Knight of the Round
The games of the first PlayStation have a special place in my heart. I spent countless childhood days playing through long, epic fantasy stories in the many amazing RPGs that were available. By the time I was making my through them, many stellar titles were on sale so I had stacks of games, each with hundreds of hours to experience. Final Fantasy VII may not have been my favorite entry in the series, which still rightfully belongs to Final Fantasy IX, but I do have a lot of fond memories of it. Much of that, I attribute to the game’s music which is something that I regularly listen to and have been doing for most of my life. I’m also a big fan of metal, especially compositions with powerful drums as that’s my sole musical talent. Knight of the Round, a heavy metal band from Indiana that’s been putting out their spins on various Final Fantasy soundtracks, have put out a new album just in time for the energy carried by the Final Fantasy VII Remake. This album is titled simply SEVEN.
Before this, my history with Final Fantasy music covers has been primarily the incredible Black Mages group and various musicians on YouTube. It’s always interesting to see how artists take the framework of these songs to hit something new and when I find a good cover I usually share it with my friends. Knight of the Round have successfully created an album that hearkens well to the original scores while also having exciting elements for listeners that are super familiar with them.
One of my favorite things in metal is a good breakdown and this album has several segments that would make for life-altering mosh sessions. Apparently, the group does live shows and I actually missed seeing them at PAX West. Next time I’ll be sure to snag a ticket if they’re in the area. Coupled with those breakdowns are fierce sections of blast beats, which involve steady or syncopated double bass with controlled chaos on snare and cymbals. It’s the type of beat that I get cramps just thinking about and I don’t care for reliance on them but in SEVEN they are used sparingly for optimal effect.
While I am most familiar with drumming, I am mostly self-taught so a lot of the terminology of music I’m not great at. Most of our band sessions involved me trying to show what I was going for rather than trying to explain it. Just saying, those that are musically inclined may find errors in my vocabulary so just be aware.
Guitar work in SEVEN mostly sticks to the melodies of these iconic songs but there are moments where Knight of the Round play with the composition, adding new phrases here and there. For an instrumental album, I feel that SEVEN says a lot about Final Fantasy VII and the kind of eerie, bleak story that it was. Standout tracks here include Opening/Bombing Mission (my personal favorite of the album), Let the Battles Begin, and I really enjoyed the slower moments of Anxiety. There’s also this haunting moment in On Our Way where the dying screams of the victims of the Nibleheim fire slowly drown out the last notes. It’s the type of moment that made me reflect on how horrible that section of the story was, adding more weight to what I originally experienced in the game.
Oddly enough, I think One-Winged Angel may be the weakest track in SEVEN as it felt a little too similar to the mix done for Advent Children. I also think there’s a little too much opera singing being used here and it seems more digital and generic in tone. That said, some of the bass work on Sephiroth’s legendary theme adds an imposing force that I appreciate.
Overall, I think SEVEN is a great way to get excited for the Final Fantasy VII Remake and it’s clear that these songs were made by longtime fans of the game. Knight of the Round comes from midwest America and they have lots of other songs available, featuring covers from throughout the Final Fantasy franchise. On almost every track the energy is palpable, exciting, and energizing.
Our typical scoring system doesn’t work well with albums but this feels like a solid 8/10 to me.
Find more Knight of the Round music, CDs, vinyls, and special edition packages on their Bandcamp.
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