Blog Post
Winger – 'SEVEN' Frontiers Music Release date 5 May 2023
Ross Macdonald • Apr 15, 2023
Album Review
Cards on the table here, I’ve been down the long road with Winger and they have always bookmarked significant periods in my life. They first came into my life when my older brother returned home from an early Winger gig in Glasgow and preceded to tell me he got to spend time with them beforehand at the sadly now defunct 23rd Precinct and that aside from being stellar musicians they were, at heart, wonderful human beings and that’s always stuck with me. Their music always seemed deeper than their peers too, sure some of it was dressed up in nice little MTV sized packages but even songs like Seventeen and Miles Away are chock full of incredible talent and layered nuances. Laterally the haters will tell you that Winger’s music got unnecessarily complicated but there’s a huge difference between complicated and complex. Winger are almost peerless in presenting complex themes, song writing and playing in seemingly simple offerings and ‘Seven’ may just be their finest hour.
Proud Desperado – You’ll have heard this one by now, so you’ll have made up your own mind. What may have passed you by is how deep this song is on a musical level. The complex intervals on the pre chorus are wonderful and Kip’s ability to hit every syllable at exactly the same tone is superb. I’ve heard multiple versions of what people think the song is about, the beauty of writing and music at this level is that it’s open to interpretation but for me it evokes a feeling of standing for something only to realise you were flown in under a false flag.
Heaven’s Falling – Huge brooding opening that opens up effortlessly into a lush, layered slice of Winger loveliness. The keyboard line that dances almost unnoticed over the top pulls the whole thing together.
Tears of Blood – Song of the year and I could already make a compelling case for this being my favourite ever Winger song. Seriously, I’m getting chills again just typing this and nothing I really write here will adequately describe what this song did to me. From the almost Hells Bells-esque opening, to the monster riffs to the rise and fall to the mid song breakdown that drifts hauntingly from ear to ear to Kip tearing his soul open with the lyrics, my god the lyrics..
“Cause your Judas mind betrays your Jesus heart
And the sceptics words tear your soul apart
Though you know the truth, you know you can’t win and you’ll always be unforgiven”.
Put simply this song is why I love music, it has the ability to connect me to something bigger, to move me, to illicit an emotional response like nothing else can.
Resurrect Me – This is full on boogie material, foot stomping, fist pumping, hair swinging awesomeness. Absolute monster of a rocker.
Voodoo Fire – Guttural gallus swaggerer of a track with Kip spitting lyrics with the venomous accuracy of a cobra that’s lost its charmer. The closing calming bars set up perfectly what comes next.
Broken Glass – The opening is almost ethereal and the elongated phrasing into the pre chorus built is sublime. An absolutely gorgeous double edged relationship song that’s rounded out with a first ever Winger solo for Paul Taylor where his touch and tone are just perfect.
It’s OK – A song about the big illusion of life and we’re back to ‘groove’ mode, but this time it’s a talk box, playful and quirky one. Serious ‘Down Incognito’ vibes here and unless I’m mistaken it sounds like Reb Beach singing on the second verse.
Stick the Knife in and Twist – Detuned low end and furious. If the previous guitar work was touch and tone this is grip and rip at its absolute finest. Whitesnake/Rainbow styled verse with what sounds like a double solo as Reb and John trade off licks while Morgenstein sets a tempo that can only be described as furious.
One Light to Burn – Half time, mid-tempo track with some wonderful trademark Winger timing changes that challenge the ear to keep up. Stellar drum work from perhaps the most underrated drummer in the business.
Do or Die – Slow almost acoustic opening that opens up into a full on fight song and anthem for those that have taken a blow or two from the big fight of life. Another wonderfully crafted song.
Time Bomb – Crunching riff into another monster of a song. The interplay between guitars and drums is frankly ridiculous and once again showcases the talent that runs five deep across this all-original line up.
It All Comes Back Around – I’ll be honest here, when I first heard this, it was a quick run through before I headed out to work and I felt a little underwhelmed by it. By the time I got to it again on the
first run through of the entire album I’m happy to report that I got my whelm back and that kids is why the lost art of album sequencing has been found safe and well in ‘Seven’. Gorgeous opening with just the right amount of keyboards that then meanders melodically through just about every sound in the Winger arsenal as they pull together every vibe from the previous eleven songs and compile it together perfectly in what can easily be described as an opus. The orchestral like middle eight into the expansive outro speaks to the true student of music that Kip has become and when you ally that with the aforementioned solo from Mr Beach (at this stage I’m now convinced he has access to extra notes that aren’t available to mere mortals like you and I) you have something extra special. The more I listen to it, the more I hear in it and in that respect, it reminds me very much of Headed for a Heartbreak.
In summary, this is an exquisite collection of Winger material that manages to collate all they have played, learned and loved over the past thirty-five years and where every song seems to include nods and tips of the musical hat to the previous six albums. Blazing solos, soaring choruses, bridges that span generations and grooves so deep you’re going to need crampons and a rope to get back out. This is Winger 7.0 and it’s really something rather special.
Much Love
Ross Macdonald