Seventh Angel formed back in 1987 in England. They broke up in 1992 after releasing 2 albums of technical thrash metal.
THE TORMENT (1990) UNDER ONE FLAG
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Line-up: Ian Arkley - Guitars, Vocals Scott A. Rawson - Rhythm Guitar Simon Bibby - Bass Guitar Tank - Drums (aka Andrew Thompson) |
Although this album has been released on several record labels, including a remastered version from 2005, it is still very hard to come by. I was lucky enough to get me a copy in a trade. I'm always eager to get hold of Christian metal I do not already own, and this band came highly recommended. Seventh Angel are a progressive thrash metal band, and this is their first effort. I like my thrash metal a little less complicated I guess, because this album doesn't get a hold of me at all. It's very well played, but I can't get enough into any of the songs. 2 of the songs presented here can also be found on the 'Heed The Warning' demo, recorded and released only months earlier.
Killer tracks: Tormented Forever, Dr. Hatchet
HEED THE WARNING - DEMO & LIVE
RECORDINGS (2005) BOMBWORKS
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Tracks 1-4: 'Heed The Warning'
Demo, Recorded at White Rabbit Studios, Bridgenorth, England 12th - 14th
March 1990 Line-up: Ian Arkley - Lead guitar & Vocals Scott A Rawson - Rhythm guitar Simon Bibby - Bass guitar Tank - Drums Tracks 5-7: Live, Recorded at Wolvermapton, UK. April 17, 1992 Line-up: Ian Arkley - Lead Guitar, Vocals Tank - Drums Nic White - Bass Tracks 8-11: Live, Recorded at Greenbelt Festival, UK. August 28, 1992 Line-up: Ian Arkley - Lead Guitar, Vocals Tank - Drums Mark Broomhead - Bass Track 12: Live, Recorded at Crushing Hell Fest, Holland. November 20, 1992 Line-up: Ian Arkley - Lead Guitar, Vocals Tank - Drums Mark Broomhead - Bass |
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Seventh Angel was not my favorite thrash metal band. But as a collector of Christian metal, and an avid thrash metal lover, this is a piece of history worth owning nonetheless. I already owned a CDR of all 3 demos this band recorded. But getting this, their 3rd and final demo, as a proper CD release is of course even better. And to my pleasant surprise, I really liked the music on this release much better than first expected. Seventh Angel deliver some technical, or progressive if you like, thrash metal. The first thing that hit me this time around was how much they reminded me of Sabbat, another classic British cult thrash metal act. Especially the vocals are similar. Ian Arkely doesn't have that rapid machine gun fire delivery, but the raspy, aggressive tone is very much alike Martin Walkyre's style. There is no denying the typical British sound of Seventh Angel. Bands like Xentrix, Detritus and the already mentioned Sabbat are all brothers in genre and in sound to Seventh Angel. The 4 demo tracks were all recorded just 1 or 2 months prior to the recording of the bands full-length debut, 'The Torment'. This, and the fact that the sound quality on the demo is just as good as on their debut, I suspect that the 2 tracks represented on both releases are the same recordings. The 2 tracks that didn't make the cut for 'The Torment' can both be found on the 'White Metal Warriors' compilation, and are amongst the finest songs Seventh Angel ever recorded. Alongside the 'Heed The Warning' demo, Bombworks has also thrown in a bunch of live tracks, recorded at 3 different venues. These are not exactly very good sound wise. But we do get a glimpse of how tight this band was live. I would have included the bands 2 earlier demos instead though. Still, this is Christian metal history, and worth checking into if you still haven't heard this band, or if you are just curious as to what the band sounded like in the early days. I've included both the original artwork for 'Heed The Warning', and of course the cover on the reissue, created by Rex Zachary (aka Rexorcist). Now, excuse me, I have to go and re-familiarize myself with the bands studio efforts.
Seventh Angel also appear on:
V/A - 'White Metal Warriors - Last Ship Home'
Related artists:
Unofficial Seventh Angel site: