Seventh Angel - Heed the Warning (Live & Demo Recordings)
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
Label: Bombworks Records
Total Songs: 12
Total Time: 67:11
Tracklisting: 1. Forbidden Desires, 2. Seven Angels, 3. I of the Needle, 4. Heed the Warning, 5. Tormented Forever (Live), 6. Seven Angels (Live), 7. Dark Shadows (Live), 8. Dr. Hatchet (Live), 9. Woken By Silence (Live), 10. Life in All it's Emptiness (Live), 11. Katie (Live), 12. No Longer a Child (Live).
Best Songs: Tracks 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Band Lineup: Ian Arkley - Lead Guitar/Vocals, Scott Rawson - Guitar, Tank - Drums, Simon Bibby - Bass, Nic White - Bass at Wolverhampton, UK. concert, Mark Broomhead - Bass at Greenbelt Fest & Crushing Hell Fest.
Band Website: http://www.blackplanet0.freeserve.co.uk/seventh.htm