Seventh Angel - "Demo Collection"

Seventh Angel - Demo Collection
2017, Bombworks

Red Demo:
1. Heed the Warning
2. In the Name of Christ We Rock
3. Betrayer
Rehersal Demo:
4. Dr. Hatchet
5. Divine Takeover
6. Betrayer
7. Locked Up in Chains
Heed The Warning Demo:
8. Forbidden Desires
9. Seven Angels Parts I and II
10. I of the Needle
11. Heed the Warning
Dust of Years Demo:
12. Lamentations
13. The Turning Tide

The Demo Collection is just what the label says - a collection of the band's first three demos with a couple from The Dust of Years as a bonus. The sound quality is pretty decent for being demos and it's kind of cool to hear a couple tracks the band never released on a studio album. The best of the bunch remains the Heed the Warning demo. Of course we already got that with the previous demo collection. I'd say this is mostly for avid fans and collectors like myself. The package is pretty cool - a big fold out digipak - with some notes on each demo by Ian Arkley.

Speaking of which, he says in the notes for the Rehersal Demo that he hates the lyrics to "Dr. Hatchet" which he calls, "a song about big subjects written by someone with infantile opinions." He goes on to say that no matter what one's stance on the issue there are better ways of expressing it. I just think it's pretty interesting he would say that. As my own opinion on abortion has changed. I mean... I still hate it. Hate it. But instead of yelling at people about how bad it is I am much more of the mind that we should listen and help. Don't tell an person wanting an abortion that they are evil for wanting one. Offer to help. Make abortion the bad choice by creating better choices. Yelling at people and shoving ghastly imagery in their faces had been tried and it has not been successful. Perhaps we should try something different, yes? So I guess I agree with Mr. Arkely - like the song, but the I'm definitely not as wild about the lyrics.

Useless Fact: Not a fact about the band, but "Seven Angels" is one of my favorite Seventh Angel songs. Too bad it never saw an official studio release. Also... if I didn't say this already "Heed the Warning" and "Seven Angels" appeared on the compilation Last Ship Home. A comp I want just for the Rodney Matthews cover art.

Seventh Angel - "The Dust of Years"

Seventh Angel - The Dust of Years

2009, Bombworks

1. Chaos of Dreams

2. The Turning Tide

3. Exordium

4. Weep Not For Us

5. Abelard and Helois

6. In Ruins

7. Lamentations

8. The Raven Sky

9. Oswiecim

Here's the problem with Seventh Angel's newest disc. If you go into it expecting the thrash you heard and loved on The Torment and Lament for the Weary you will be sorely disappointed. The Dust of Years has far more in common with Ian Arkley's other band My Silent Wake. Like chunky infectious riffs? Too bad. Like lyrics you can understand the meaning to? Too bad. Like Ian's thrash vocal style? Too bad. Yeah... now objectively this is not a bad album at all. The songs, while not necessarily full of hooks, are interesting and appropriately moody and gothic. There's hints of thrash here and there, but for the most part it's doom metal. Not a bad album, just go into it with the right expectations.

Oh... there's been a lot of fuss about the album being downloaded more than it's been bought. I can understand why someone would want to download it. The band's sound has changed and I think people really wanted to preview this one. They did, then found it wasn't the Seventh Angel they'd loved, then didn't buy it. It's sad but I don't think Believer had many problems with downloading because they still sounded like Believer. The Dust of Years sounds more like My Silent Wake than it does Seventh Angel. Oh well... I bought mine on Itunes and am planning to buy a hard copy someday.

Useless Fact: According to an interview in HM Magainze, drummer Tank is now a Buddhist and the band no longer considers themselves a "Christian" band. They also inherited bassist Mark Broomhead, formerly of Detritus.

Seventh Angel - "Heed the Warning (Demo and Live Recordings)"

Seventh Angel - Heed the Warning (Demo and Live Recordings)
2005, Bombworks

1. Forbidden Desires
2. Seven Angels
3. I of the Needle
4. Heed the Warning
5. Tormented Forever
6. Seven Angels
7. Dark Shadows
8. Dr. Hatchet
9. Woken By Silence
10. Life in All Its Emptiness
11. Katie
12. No Longer a Child

As the title indicates, this album is basically the band's Heed the Warning demo with a bunch of live tracks thrown in. The demo stuff is hands down the best demo stuff I've ever heard. The sound quality is probably better than their full length debut. Though the two "new" songs "Seven Angels" and "Heed the Warning" were already a compilation that I can't remember the name of (it was called Last Ship Home or something...). The live tracks are decent but the drums are way out front so the quality is listenable, but not perfect by any means. Though it's nice to have both the demo and these tracks on CD.

Useless Fact: The cover art was done by Rexorcist. He's done cover art for Tourniquet and some other metal bands.

Seventh Angel - "Lament for the Weary"

Seventh Angel - Lament for the Weary

1991/2008, Metal Mind

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

Bonus Track:

12. The Turning Tide

Seventh Angel's second album is a progressive thrash masterpiece! The band slows down just a bit and I think the guitar is a bit chunkier and more "full" sounding if that makes any sense. Lament is an album full of infectious riffs and the little melodic touches here and there. I've never heard anything official but I'm pretty sure this is a concept album about a person struggling with the effects of sexual abuse. In fact, someday when I have time I'd like to write a little column about the "story"... if I ever find some free time.

Metal Mind's reissue of Lament is similar to that of The Torment - a digipak with a bonus track from The Dust of Years on it. The liner notes are the same as the ones from The Torment which I think is kind of lame. Oh well... good to have this on CD again!

Useless Fact: Rodney Matthews painted the cover for this one like he did for the previous. If I ever make a metal album I'm totally getting Rodney Matthews to paint the cover.

Seventh Angel - "The Torment"

Seventh Angel - The Torment

1990/2008, Metal Mind

1. Tormented Forever

2. The Charmer

3. Forbidden Desires

4. I of the Needle

5. Expletive Deleted

6. Dr. Hatchet

7. Locked Up in Chains

8. Acoustic Interlude

9. Katie

10. Epilogue

Bonus Track:

11. Lamentations

Seventh Angel is a thrash band with a distinctly British flavor to them. The Torment knows how to be fast and heavy but can also be melodic and reflective. The album also contains some beautiful acoustic passages. "The Charmer," "I of the Needle," and the epic "Katie" are all highlights for me. But really the album is full of great thrash. One thing I noticed listening to this the other day is how great the bass is. Usually in metal bass doesn't play that big a part and it's usually played using a pick to create a rumbly sound. I'm sure the bass in this disc hasn't been played with a pick because it's too precise. It's also very melodic and really lends a unique sound to the band.

I finally got to replace my defective copy with the Metal Mind reissue this Christmas. It's a digipak but the artwork is good and the liner notes are informative and it also includes the lyrics. The bonus track, "Lamentations" is actually on The Dust of Years.

Useless Fact: The rumor mill says that vocalist and guitarist Ian Arkley hates the lyrics to this album. I'm not sure why... I don't think they're that bad.