REVIEWS
RECORDINGS |
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| Heed The Warning Demo & Live
Recordings (7) Lament For The Weary (12) The Torment (6) Heed The Warning Demo (1) |
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HEED THE WARNING DEMO & LIVE RECORDINGS FIRESTREAM.NET Don't let the word "demo" fool
you, this sounds every bit as good as any of their other
stuff. The live sounds great also since it was recorded
straight from the soundboard. Killer album and any
Seventh Angel fan needs to get this. RexorcisT (2005) This CD is worth the price of admission for the demo tracks alone. Those four songs are easily as good as anything on "The Torment", and in fact the song "Seven Angels" is perhaps one of my all time favorite songs by this band. Ultmetal (2005)
NO LIFE 'TILL METAL.COM In 2005 Bombworks Records released the infamous "Heed the Warning" demo, along with some live material from Seventh Angel. Seventh Angel have always had cool cover art and this time around is no exception. The cover was created by Rexorcist who has also done work for bands like Opeth and Tourniquet. There really isn't much to dislike about this CD. Being a big fan of the band's only two studio albums, I was more than stoked to hear that Bombworks was going to release their equally great "Heed the Warning" demo. Many may be fooled by the word "demo", but hear this loud and clear, the production and songwriting are easily as good as anything on "The Torment". As a matter of fact, the song "Seven Angels" is probably one of my favorite songs by this band. I had heard this song on the "White Metal Warriors" compilation and have always been enamored by the song. Not only is it heavy and aggressive, but the hooks is undeniable. There is also this very cool "metal on metal" sound at the end of the song that almost sounds like a hammer on an anvil. (Can you get any more METAL than that?!) The four demo tracks are worth the price of this CD alone. However, Bombworks wasn't content to just release a cheap EP, instead chosing to include a bunch of live tracks recorded at various locations. The production on these live tracks aren't quite as good as the studio songs, but they are still very listenable and very much a welcome addition to this CD. It's a bummer that Seventh Angel only released two albums and while there may never be a new album from them, it's cool to have this CD as an addition to the collection. (08.05)
THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH Classic metal flavor is a good thing sometimes. Heed the Warning is old school heavy/thrash/death metal. The vocals are not a growl or a scream thing that people cannot understand, it is metal. Heed the Warning was an old demo recording of Seventh Angel's from the early '90s. This new release by Bombworks Records has that old demo plus three different live performances. As far as the live recordings are concerned from the early '90s, it is a relatively crisp sounding atmosphere for that kind of recording format. To an uninformed listener this would be confused as a whole live CD or a whole demo sessions CD, yet it's three demos, and three live songs for each of the three different concerts. Classic metal, classic demos, classic live songs,a truly classic ensemble. A must have for Christian Metal enthusiasts. Len Nash (12-30-05) 3.5/5
POWERMETAL.DE SEVENTH ANGEL existieren zwar schon seit
mehr als zehn Jahren nicht mehr, aber weil die Band
damals mit "The Torment" (1990) und
"Lament For The Weary" (1992) zwei
herausragende Scheiben im Thrash-Metal-Bereich
veröffentlichte, sind die Engländer nicht vergessen.
Der beste Beleg hierfür ist diese aktuelle
Veröffentlichung von Bombworks Records, worauf sich das
"Heed The Warning"-Demo und die letzten
musikalischen Bewegungen von SEVENTH ANGEL, also einige
Songs ihrer letzten Konzerte, befinden. Zugegebenermaßen
hätte ich mich noch mehr auf die Veröffentlichung der
anderen beiden SEVENTH ANGEL-Demos gefreut (auch wenn
deren Qualität vermutlich nicht so hoch ist), aber die
vorliegende Produktion ist für den Fan auf jeden Fall
auch eine feine Sache! Stefan Lang [19.08.2005]
THE REFINERY ROCK RADIO I remember it was like, 1990. Me and my family drove to Olympia, WA about once a month to go grocery shopping and check out some of the shops that we don't have here in Aberdeen. It's only about a 45 minute drive and Olympia is huge compared to my town. Anyway, I always made sure I stopped at the Christian music store there, ours is lame, to check out the tunes. I had a good friend who worked there, his name was Shawn. We were fellow metalheads and always kept each other up to date on the latest musical discoveries. I came in and saw the new Seriah cd, "Carnival World", so I picked it up. Shawn was busy with a customer so I continued browsing. A few minutes later Shawn came over and handed me Seventh Angel - The Torment cd. It was there last one so he had saved it for me, good friends in high places. So I popped it into my car cd player and WOW! It rocked! I must have listened to it 100 times before I remembered I also bought the Seriah cd. Well, I love Seventh Angel. There cd, "Lament for the Weary" is also a classic. Then I'm not sure whatever happened to them. Well, 15 years later, Heed the Warning is released. The first 4 songs are from there Heed the Warning "demo" and the rest are live tracks from Different concerts in 1992. The album was released by BomworksRecords and it is Awesome! The recording is great. Definitely a must have!!! 5/5 Barrels (08.2005)
THE WHIPPING POST Ahhh...one of my favorite thrash bands of all time. My earliest days of metal (which started about 15 years ago), have fond memories of Seventh Angel and their two incredible albums, The Torment and Lament for the Weary. It's been a blast getting to hear those two albums re-released in the last year. However, one part of the band's history that many people didn't get to hear (unless you had the White Metal Warriors compilation) was their third and most popular demo, Heed the Warning. Thanks to Bombworks records, this demo is available on CD for the first time along with eight bonus live tracks that were recording at three separate concerts in Holland and the UK. The live tracks were recorded after the release of Lament for the Weary and showcase some of the band's last ever live performances. The music contained within is very high quality thrash metal. The Heed the Warning tracks are just as the bio written by Nick Bolton describes...just as good if not better than what was found on their debut, The Torment. Two tracks that were on The Torment, "Forbidden Desires" and "I of the Needle" show up here. The other two tracks, "Seven Angels" and "Heed the Warning" both showed up on the White Metal Warriors compilation in 1991. However, you had to sift through a lot of sub-par metal (save for Detritus) to get to them. Both tracks find the band hitting on all cylinders from the absolutely crushing, punishing riffs, to the pulverizing drums, to the angrily spouted vocals by Ian Arkley. The live tracks are very nicely done. While the production can sometimes hide the guitars a little bit behind the drums and vocals, it's not the worst I've heard by any stretch. The band shows great intensity and there is a mix of songs from the Heed the Warning demo and both full lengths. The final live track, "No Longer a Child", was recording just three weeks before the band's last gig ever. The CD booklet is simple, but includes a good amount of band photos, a bio written by Nick Bolton, and killer artwork. True Seventh Angel fans should be all over this release. Bombworks Records has pulled off a great one here by unleashing this great demo and live tracks from a band that will forever reign as one of the kings of thrash. Rating: 90/100 Review By: Matt Morrow (08.05)
LAMENT FOR THE WEARY BRUTAL REALITY 1 This is not another band trying to sound as heavy as they can, this band IS heavy. Seventh Angel, obscure and unsung as they are, will be remembered by those who know them as one of the greatest thrash metal bands ever to grace the earth's mosh pits. Comprising of guitarist and vocalist Ian Arkley, rhythm guitarist Scott Rawson, and drummer Tank, this English band grinds out some of the most brutal heavy metal dirge ever heard, especially back in '91 when they recorded "Lament For the Weary". Deep, abrasive, and dark as anything, many listeners would probably have a hard time figuring whether this isn't death or doom metal rather than thrash. I don't know exactly where to place it either because there are definitely elements of all three styles in these songs. That's not important though, the important thing is that this relentless bombast of detuned guitars, pounding drums, and thumping bass lines meshes together to weave some of the meanest grooves imaginable. They take it pretty slow most of the time, unlike a lot of other bands, but watch out because without warning they can take off and leave you behind in the dust. This band is pretty unique, but comparisons could probably be drawn to Slayer or Vengeance Rising. This album contains some of the most oppressively heavy guitar tones possible. Seventh Angel don't worry about making their riffs overly intricate but focus more on sticking with a powerful groove and cranking it out ruthlessly and embellishing on that, rather than mindlessly throwing together as many unrelated riffs as they can in a vain attempt to sound artsy. They don't stop there though, "Lament for the Weary" contains some of the best guitar solos I have ever heard. No joke, as far as I'm concerned, Ian is king. There is no one I'd rather hear play guitar. The solo on the instrumental opener "Recollections of a Life Once Lived" blows the mind with it's intensity, it sounds physically impossible to play but there it is. Ian's ability to put notes together and create melodies with even the most complicated solos is unbelievable. This provides a whole other side for this album. When the piercing shriek of Ian's guitar suddenly sets in it turns what at first seems to be raging beast of a song into a composition of sheer beauty. No other band I know sounds so sickeningly heavy and so beautiful at the same time. As if that weren't enough, Ian and Scott include a few acoustic guitar segments, such as the intro to "Woken by Silence". They've come up with some incredibly gorgeous pieces with a slight classical or even Celtic tinge that provides yet another shade to this brilliant album. On the vocal side of things Seventh Angel is not quite as impressive, though Ian's deep throated roar fits the music quite nicely. Lyrically this album unfolds almost like a concept album, starting with very dark themes of hopelessness and betrayal. A desperate question is posed at the end of "Life in all its Emptiness"; "where is my release?" By the end of the album the answer to this question becomes clear beyond the shadow of a doubt, the saving grace of Jesus Christ. All in all, "Lament for the Weary" is a gem, do not pass it up. Bjorn Bauer
BRUTAL REALITY 2 This is
a heavy album for its time. The first song is an
instrumental, a nice touch I believe. It gives you a good
idea what to expect for the rest of the album. This has a
lot of the "chugga chugga" one needs when
banging ones head, complete with time signature changes
(mostly half-time and double time). This is a good band.
The one weakness I find is the vocals. In order to be
heavy, a sort of scream is induced by the singer, but in
order to be legible, there is almost an over attempt to
pronounce the words. While I feel that understanding the
lyrics in this genre is important, the vocals suffer
because of this, compared to that of Mortification. They
turn out as sort of a moan, instead of the cool screech
on "Tormented Forever" from the last album. The
guitar sound is very unique for this band. It sounds like
a combination of tube and solid state amps, with a
heavier emphasis on solid state. A lower mid-range fills
the wall of sound produced by the band. However, they
tastefully add slower, more delicate sections. Scott Moore
FIRESTREAM.NET Pretty
good mix of thrash and doom. The guitar solos are
fantastic. It's quality stuff. This is very rare but has
been reissued/remastered recently in limited quantity. If
you want to get it cheap, now is the time. 4 stars Mak28 (2005) I bought
the original when it first came out in 1991...glad I
still have it today. Very atmospheric doomy thrash metal
with several instrumental tracks..... Border-Cop (2005) this doesnt thrash that much, quite doomy and depressing, too. the album concept is about a man who was abused as a child and goes through life depressed and suicidal and finally finds comfort and grace through Jesus Christ. ive had it for 11 years and i stll listen to it now and then. good depressing doom metal. stepcousin (2005) Classic metal album. A lot of people call this thrash (they're thinking of previous effort "The Torment") This is definitely more doom than anything. Some of the best guitar solos I've heard. Only thing that woulda made this better is if Ian had done a death metal growl (ala his next band Ashen Mortality) rather than the singing (if you call it that) he does here. These songs beg for an ultra deep death metal vocal. GloriousDreggs Simply one of the finest thrash albums ever recorded! Ultmetal I knew a guy who owned the original vinyl release, and as you can imagine the cover looked incredible. I wanted this album for years and years and finally secured it on re-release c.d this year, what a masterpiece not only in capturing what I believe to be the true essence of what is known as "Thrash" but also in passionate writing and heart-felt vocals. A true lesson from the "British Christian Invasion" indeed. NZmetalhead One of the best albums ever made, secular or Christian RexorcisT Yeah..Excellent album. I am thrash metal fan. This is one of the best christian thrash metal album. My version is re-issue and has very good sounds. :D Eternal
SOUNDMASS Only one year after their groundbreaking debut release, Seventh Angel unleashed this thrash metal masterpiece upon a very unsuspecting world. The band’s 1991 release is generally slower, but heavier than The Torment. As the album title indicates, Lament For the Weary is a concept album which lyrically focuses on how we deal with lifelong depression and pain... Haunting musically and lyrically, don’t be surprised if Lament For the Weary sends chills down your back. Rarely does a thrash metal band hit the bullseye so definitively. And rarely is a band able to augment full on shredding with mellow, subtle moments the way Seventh Angel triumphs on Lament... Get it now before this classic metal release goes out of print again!" This classic comes back to us digitally remastered and limited to 1000 units. For fans of Sacrament, Vengeance Rising, Metal Church, Ashen Mortality, Saviour Machine and Paramaecium.
THE WHIPPING POST When you think of thrash metal and albums that stand head and shoulders above the rest of the pack...albums that are in an elite category with only a few other releases. Oh heck, let's not say just thrash metal, let's say heavy metal in general. Well, Seventh Angel's second and final release Lament for the Weary is one such album. This is one of my favorite albums of all time and a classic in every sense of the word. There used to be a radio station here in Oklahoma when I was in high school that played metal every night from 11:00 pm until 5:00 am. I remember staying up late at night sometimes until 3:00 am or 4:00 am on a school night just so I could absorb every minute of metal that I could. When I finally went to sleep I would leave the radio on just in case I woke up at night...in hopes of hearing a good song. Well, the late night DJ was a guy named Vern Marks. He was this big Indian guy with long hair, tattoos, and lots of body piercings. He looked like a guy you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, but I'd met him personally and he was a great guy...and of course, he loved metal! Anyways...anytime that he would get ready to talk after a song he would play a musical intro that kinda let listeners know that he was getting ready to say something. Well, that intro was the middle section of the Seventh Angel song "Farewell to Human Cries". Hearing that song helped me develop a growing fondness for Seventh Angel. Vern also played many other songs from Lament for the Weary. Probably the one he wore into the ground the most was the awesome "Woken by Silence" (which started playing on my CD player just as I started writing this sentence). Needless to say, I've been hooked ever since. So now, after numerous years, Retroactive Records has decided to re-release this masterpiece thrash album so that fans will have one more chance to own this unbelievable disc. If you are a thrash fan and are waiting for the next big thrash release to spend your money on, you may want to consider going back in time and picking this disc up instead. Although this was originally released in 1991, this is an album that has withstood the test of time and sounds just as good now as it did then. While Seventh Angel wowed metal fans with their stunning debut, The Torment, this second album is where the band showcases their best material. The music is more brutal, more punishing, and more refined. The band had found it's spot in the music world with this disc and they took listeners to the woodshed with every killer song on this release. Today when you think of metal that combines brutality and emotional beauty with perfection you may think of a band named Morphia. Well, in the early 1990's that band would have to be Seventh Angel. This album is a concept album about a man who suffered from child abuse in his childhood and was struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts in his adulthood. Eventually he returned to his childhood faith and faces death with no fear at the end. What results is an passionate album that contains music that perfectly captures the feeling in the lyrical content. The one that maybe stands out most is the heart-wrenching "No Longer a Child". The song starts off with a doomy feel, a melancholy guitar solo, and the spoken vocals..."No longer a child - a broken toy." The musical pace then quickens and intensifies as the lyrics describe a child being abused......."The door was opened wide/I'd never seen that look in daddy's eyes/Even though I cried/He wouldn't go away/I screamed inside/I try and try, but you won't hear my cries/I'd never hurt you, but in my soul is agony/I loved you even through the painful sleepless night/I'd never hate you but how can I ever be free/Daddy why do you hurt me?" Later in the song the raging metal stops to a lone acoustic guitar playing and the "voice of God" singing over the child......"My little child/I see your pain/I cry with you ever tear you weep/I weep with you/I'll never leave you/Or hurt you/And now I take you in my arms to show you a love you never knew." An emotional guitar solo follows that soon develops into a more aggressive solo as the thrash metal comes storming back with Ian Arkley's angrily spouted vocals. The closing lyrics show the child as he clings to the hope that God gave him despite the ongoing abuse. The song delivers a huge blow both musically and lyrically to the point where you almost have to stop the CD and regain your composure before continuing. However, if you do continue, Seventh Angel rewards you with a CD that is more then just 11 songs and 55 minutes of thrash, but a CD that is an experience that you will never forget and one that you will want to live over and over again. From the crushing riffs, to the breathtaking guitar solos that fill most every song, to the angry yet passionate vocals, to the folkish acoustic guitars, to the powerful drumming, to the moving lyrics, Lament for the Weary is one of the most mind-boggling yet one of the most underrated albums of all time. Huge thanks go out to Retroactive Records for re-releasing this gem with a re-mastered sound and a band biography by band friend, Nick Bolton. Not to mention the original artwork, which is one of the best album covers of all time, by Rodney Matthews. Like all Retroactive releases, this is limited to 1000 copies, so act fast. And if you love thrash this will definitely not be a disappointment. Rating: 97/100 Review by: Matt Morrow (2005)
DEAD This album... is thrash. a style that some may not know and to the rest, it is a vague memory of a long surpassed time. i loved that time. Seventh Angel puts punk, thrash, and dark edge all together to create an original gothic experience. while it's not the type of goth as the cure... it's a gothic feeling to a style coined by none. it is unique and it is good. the album is full of some classic type riffs with new twists. riffs that could have come off of a metalica album are twisted and contorted until they at times make no sense alone but put with the rest of the music create an atmospheric thrash masterpiece. from 'the torment' to 'katie'... this album provides an emotional trek back to a day when moshpits existed and hair flew like the wind. one listen to this cd/tape and if you've never heard it... you will most likely love it. buy this from a used cd source and don't pay 60-80 for it... but if you have a chance... get it. it's good. Sesspool
FIRESTREAM.NET Seventh Angel was an early '90s English
thrash band with a sound similar to that of Vengeance
Rising. The Torment, their debut album offers
emotion-packed songs with lyrics that promise eternal
suffering to the unrepentant ("Tormented
Forever") and decry such social ills as abortion
clinics ("Dr. Hatchet"). "Expletive
Deleted" encourages Christians to cleanup their
language. Popol
GEORGE'S CD GALLERY Seventh Angel are one of the best progressive thrash bands you've never heard. These English thrashers came along during the height of the thrash scene but never had the right distribution to get their name out to the masses. Too bad as Seventh Angel is one phenomenal band. Favorites from this album are "Expletive Deleted,"a fast and furious song, and "Dr. Hatchet" a controversial anti-abortion song with a killer hook and a monster riff. The cover art is by Rodney Matthews who has also done covers for Detritus, Veni Domine, and Asia.
SOUNDMASS "Originally released on The Edge Music in the U.K., it didn’t take long for the album to find its way to the U.S. through Pure Metal Records in 1990. The Torment offers high quality thrash that rivaled anything in the mainstream or Christian markets... Seventh Angel’s debut masters the art of big, thick, crunchy guitars with doomy thrash vocals... Fans of dark thrash metal will be delighted to discover the dissonant growling, and aural mayhem of Seventh Angel!" Out of print for over a decade, this classic comes back to us digitally remastered and limited to 1000 copies. For fans of Sacrament, Vengeance Rising, Metal Church, Anthrax, Exodus and Ashen Mortality.
THE WHIPPING POST Long
overdue, there is finally a re-release of the classic
album The Torment by Seventh Angel. Originally
recorded in 1990, Seventh Angel made a big entrance with
this incredible first offering. The Torment is a
fantastic thrash metal album that - 15 years later -
still stands the test of time. Retroactive Records has
released this 1000 copy limited edition with original
artwork, lyrics, and liner notes written by the band's
close friend, Nick Bolton. The album was also re-mastered
for a better sound. Rating: 94/100 Review By: Matt Morrow (2005)
WISE MEN PROMOTIONS Seventh Angel was formed
in 1987 after Ian Arkley met and started playing with
Scott Rawson. “The Torment” was their first
full-length album, and was recorded at Mad Hat Studios in
Wolverhampton, England. They parted ways in 1992, and
Arkley went on to form Ashen Mortality before later
joining Paramaecium. Derrek Bruening (2005) Rating: 4.5/5
HEED THE WARNING (DEMO) CROSS RHYTHMS Saturday 27th May 1989 saw Seventh Angel's live debut, I was there and boy it was a stormer. Now, at last they've made the recording their growing legions of fans have been waiting for. This four song EP was produced and engineered by Paul Hodson,(ex Magnum, ex Uriah Heep) and spits fire. First up is "Forbidden Desires" which talks of the fall of man. It's thrashy and features a weird break by lead guitarist Ian Arkley. "Seven Angels" moves into doom for the first verse then leaping into thrash for the second onwards. One of the most noticeable changes in the band is the drumming, Tank's excellent double-kick is enough to cave your rip cage. The second part of "Seven Angels" sees a return for the more doomy side of the band and highlights Ian reading from Revelation 15:5-8. "I Of The Needle" as the name suggests deals with drugs and has an acoustic ending which helps highlight Simon Bibby's solid bass. The closer "Heed The Warning" in my mind is the best yet, brilliant lyrics a superb arrangement and a vicious guitar solo. Probably the best British white metal you'll hear before Seventh Angel's full album due out later this year. Review by Richard Clark (1990) |
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