SEVENTH ANGEL – Thrash supreme reutgis
- Posted on 29-09-2008
Label:
Metal Mind
Seventh Angel is without question one of the most acclaimed Christian metal bands in the history of the genre. Both of their full-length albums – “The Torment” and “Lament for the Weary” – deliver a powerful dose of prime thrash metal madness, complete with a meaningful message. Metal Mind Productions presents these exclusive re-releases which bring back a true legend of Christian metal, as one of the most talented groups in the history of thrash!
Their full-length debut album – “The Torment” – delivers a powerful dose of prime thrash metal madness, complete with a meaningful message. Recorded at the Mad Hat Studios in Wolverhampton and produced by Paul Hodson, the album proved to be a truly amazing piece. Beginning with the opening track “Tormented Forever”, the LP introduced a perfect blend of sharp riffage, catchy melodies and passionate vocals (Ian’s voice was often compared by the reviewers to a “heavier and darker version of Dave Mustaine”). Such songs as “I of the Needle”, “Dr. Hatchet” and “”Locked up in Chains” make up for a fast and deadly thrash experience, especially for fans of Xentrix, Sodom or Violence. But the biggest highlight of “The Torment” is the 10-minute epic masterpiece “Katie”, full of astounding solos and beautiful acoustic passages. Along with the short closing tune “Epilogue”, it stands as a perfect ending for such a remarkable album. Also the lyrics deserved attention, as most of the songs was inspired by passages from the Book of Revelations, chapter 9. All in all, “The Torment” proved to be a very promising debut and Seventh Angel’s first step towards world-wide success. New digipack edition of the LP includes 1 bonus track.
The band’s second album, “Lament for the Weary”, was recorded in the ICC studios in Eastbourne, between July 4th and 16th, 1991. This time the production duties were given to Roy Rowland. The album was even more powerful and intense than the debut release, bringing a tasty dose of prime heavy material. Such tracks as “Life in all its Emptiness” and “No Longer a Child” instantly brought the listener back to the good old days of thrash metal insanity. Ian Arkley’s vocals became even more passionate, same with the lyrics. Seventh “Lament for the Weary” received a handful of positive reviews from critics and fans, becoming Seventh Angel’s finest offering yet. New digipack edition of the album includes 1 bonus track.
Both titles are digitally remastered using 24-Bit process on golden disc. The release date is scheduled for 27th October in Europe and 9th December in USA (via MCD).
Seventh Angel
“The Torment” (remastered + bonus track)
“The Torment” (remastered + bonus track)
Label: Metal Mind Records
Cat. No.: MASS CD 1235 DG
Barcode: 5907785033771
Format: CD Digipak (limited edition of 2000 numerated copies)
Genre: Christian / thrash metal
Release date: 27.10.2008 Europe / 09.12.2008 USA
Tracklist:
1. Tormented Forever
2. The Charmer
3. Forbidden Desires
4. I Of The Needle
5. Expletive Deleted
6. Doctor Hatchet
7. Locked Up In Chains
8. Acoustic Interlude
9. Katie
10. Epilogue
2. The Charmer
3. Forbidden Desires
4. I Of The Needle
5. Expletive Deleted
6. Doctor Hatchet
7. Locked Up In Chains
8. Acoustic Interlude
9. Katie
10. Epilogue
Bonus track:
11. The Turning Tide
Seventh Angel“Lament For Weary” (remastered + bonus track)
Label: Metal Mind Records
Cat. No.: MASS CD 1236 DG
Barcode: 5907785033788
Format: CD Digipak (limited edition of 2000 numerated copies)
Genre: Christian / thrash metal
Release date: 27.10.2008 Europe / 09.12.2008 USA
Tracklist:
1. Recollections of a Life Once Lived
2. Life in All Its Emptiness
3. No Longer A Child
4. Full of Blackness
5. Lament For the Weary
6. Woken by Silence
7. Falling Away From Reality
8. Dark Shadows
9. Passing of Years
10. Secure in Eternity
11. Farewell to Human Cries
2. Life in All Its Emptiness
3. No Longer A Child
4. Full of Blackness
5. Lament For the Weary
6. Woken by Silence
7. Falling Away From Reality
8. Dark Shadows
9. Passing of Years
10. Secure in Eternity
11. Farewell to Human Cries
Bonus track:
12. Lamentations
Bio
The history of the band begun in 1987, when two musicians from Netherton, England – Ian Arkley (vocals, guitar) and Scott Rawson (guitar) – started jamming together. After adding drummer Andrew Blount into the line-up in 1988, Seventh Angel became a fact and the first songs were written. Soon Blount got replaced by Andy Hopkins, who played with the band only for a few months. In early 1989 Mark Ruff joined Seventh Angel as the new drummer and the group recorded their first demo. During the session Ian handled the vocals, guitar and bass. However, a few days later bass-player Simon Bibby joined and Seventh Angel were ready to hit the stage. The band’s first performance took place in their hometown in May 1989. It was followed by several other shows in the local area. At some point Mark Ruff decided to leave the group and Colin Brookes became his temporary replacement for an upcoming UK tour with the American band Whitecross. After the tour was finished, the drumming duties were taken over by Andrew Thompson, aka Tank. In this line-up Seventh Angel recorded their second demo, called simply “The Rehearsal Demo”. The live recording cost them only £26…
Between March 12th and 14th, 1990, with the help of producer Paul Hodson, the band recorded their third demo – “Heed the Warning” – at White Rabbit Studios in Bridgenorth. The demo caught the attention of Edge Records who offered Seventh Angel a contract. Thus, on December 1st, 1990, the group’s debut LP – “The Torment” – hit the British stores. Recorded at the Mad Hat Studios in Wolverhampton and produced again by Paul Hodson, the album proved to be a truly amazing piece. Beginning with the opening track “Tormented Forever”, the LP introduced a perfect blend of sharp riffage, catchy melodies and passionate vocals (Ian’s voice was often compared by the reviewers to a “heavier and darker version of Dave Mustaine”). Such songs as “I of the Needle”, “Dr. Hatchet” and “”Locked up in Chains” make up for a fast and deadly thrash experience, especially for fans of Xentrix, Sodom or Violence. But the biggest highlight of “The Torment” is the 10-minute epic masterpiece “Katie”, full of astounding solos and beautiful acoustic passages. Along with the short closing tune “Epilogue”, it stands as a perfect ending for such a remarkable album. Also the lyrics deserved attention, as most of the songs was inspired by passages from the Book of Revelations, chapter 9. All in all, “The Torment” proved to be a very promising debut and Seventh Angel’s first step towards world-wide success.
In early 1991 Simon Bibby decided to leave the group. Right after that Seventh Angel parted with their manager, Dave Williams. The search for a new bass player begun and soon the band welcomed Simon Jones, who agreed to fill in for Bibby. A series of gigs followed, including shows around Horsham and Stourbridge, a couple of festivals and a 11-gig tour with Toranga. Soon after, the band started working on the follow-up LP. “Lament for the Weary” was recorded in the ICC studios in Eastbourne, between July 4th and 16th, 1991. This time the production duties were given to Roy Rowland. The album was even more powerful and intense than the debut release, bringing a tasty dose of prime heavy material. Such tracks as “Life in all its Emptiness” and “No Longer a Child” instantly brought the listener back to the good old days of thrash metal insanity. Ian Arkley’s vocals became even more passionate, same with the lyrics. Seventh “Lament for the Weary” received a handful of positive reviews from critics and fans, becoming Seventh Angel’s finest offering yet.
Shortly after the album’s release, Scott Rawson decided to leave the group. He was soon followed by Simon Jones, leaving the band only with Ian Arkley and Tank as permanent members. Seventh Angel split for a while, but quickly reformed for a festival in Germany. With the help of several musicians, the band continued touring until December 1992, when they played their last show, ending a tour across Holland. After the split-up, members of the group took part in various projects including Firefly, My Silent Wake, Sukmunki, The Other Window and Ashen Mortality. For years Seventh Angel was just a blank memory, until in 2008 it was finally reformed. Currently the band is working on some brand new material…
Seventh Angel remains one of the most inspirational Christian metal acts around. Both “The Torment” and “Lament for the Weary” are truly exceptional releases, showcasing a band which is not afraid to speak about their beliefs with all means possible. Thankfully, that involves some killer thrash metal!
The history of the band begun in 1987, when two musicians from Netherton, England – Ian Arkley (vocals, guitar) and Scott Rawson (guitar) – started jamming together. After adding drummer Andrew Blount into the line-up in 1988, Seventh Angel became a fact and the first songs were written. Soon Blount got replaced by Andy Hopkins, who played with the band only for a few months. In early 1989 Mark Ruff joined Seventh Angel as the new drummer and the group recorded their first demo. During the session Ian handled the vocals, guitar and bass. However, a few days later bass-player Simon Bibby joined and Seventh Angel were ready to hit the stage. The band’s first performance took place in their hometown in May 1989. It was followed by several other shows in the local area. At some point Mark Ruff decided to leave the group and Colin Brookes became his temporary replacement for an upcoming UK tour with the American band Whitecross. After the tour was finished, the drumming duties were taken over by Andrew Thompson, aka Tank. In this line-up Seventh Angel recorded their second demo, called simply “The Rehearsal Demo”. The live recording cost them only £26…
Between March 12th and 14th, 1990, with the help of producer Paul Hodson, the band recorded their third demo – “Heed the Warning” – at White Rabbit Studios in Bridgenorth. The demo caught the attention of Edge Records who offered Seventh Angel a contract. Thus, on December 1st, 1990, the group’s debut LP – “The Torment” – hit the British stores. Recorded at the Mad Hat Studios in Wolverhampton and produced again by Paul Hodson, the album proved to be a truly amazing piece. Beginning with the opening track “Tormented Forever”, the LP introduced a perfect blend of sharp riffage, catchy melodies and passionate vocals (Ian’s voice was often compared by the reviewers to a “heavier and darker version of Dave Mustaine”). Such songs as “I of the Needle”, “Dr. Hatchet” and “”Locked up in Chains” make up for a fast and deadly thrash experience, especially for fans of Xentrix, Sodom or Violence. But the biggest highlight of “The Torment” is the 10-minute epic masterpiece “Katie”, full of astounding solos and beautiful acoustic passages. Along with the short closing tune “Epilogue”, it stands as a perfect ending for such a remarkable album. Also the lyrics deserved attention, as most of the songs was inspired by passages from the Book of Revelations, chapter 9. All in all, “The Torment” proved to be a very promising debut and Seventh Angel’s first step towards world-wide success.
In early 1991 Simon Bibby decided to leave the group. Right after that Seventh Angel parted with their manager, Dave Williams. The search for a new bass player begun and soon the band welcomed Simon Jones, who agreed to fill in for Bibby. A series of gigs followed, including shows around Horsham and Stourbridge, a couple of festivals and a 11-gig tour with Toranga. Soon after, the band started working on the follow-up LP. “Lament for the Weary” was recorded in the ICC studios in Eastbourne, between July 4th and 16th, 1991. This time the production duties were given to Roy Rowland. The album was even more powerful and intense than the debut release, bringing a tasty dose of prime heavy material. Such tracks as “Life in all its Emptiness” and “No Longer a Child” instantly brought the listener back to the good old days of thrash metal insanity. Ian Arkley’s vocals became even more passionate, same with the lyrics. Seventh “Lament for the Weary” received a handful of positive reviews from critics and fans, becoming Seventh Angel’s finest offering yet.
Shortly after the album’s release, Scott Rawson decided to leave the group. He was soon followed by Simon Jones, leaving the band only with Ian Arkley and Tank as permanent members. Seventh Angel split for a while, but quickly reformed for a festival in Germany. With the help of several musicians, the band continued touring until December 1992, when they played their last show, ending a tour across Holland. After the split-up, members of the group took part in various projects including Firefly, My Silent Wake, Sukmunki, The Other Window and Ashen Mortality. For years Seventh Angel was just a blank memory, until in 2008 it was finally reformed. Currently the band is working on some brand new material…
Seventh Angel remains one of the most inspirational Christian metal acts around. Both “The Torment” and “Lament for the Weary” are truly exceptional releases, showcasing a band which is not afraid to speak about their beliefs with all means possible. Thankfully, that involves some killer thrash metal!