Seventh, the
Only Blackness Radiates (cd)
Wydane przez Self-financedRok wydania 2005Kraj BelgiumNapisał Wouter4
Was it really necessary to release this? Belgian Gothenburg death metal outfit The Seventh offers up its first promo album and while it is halfway decent, it isn't able to hold up with their contemporaries on about every level. 'Rise Of the Grim' kicks off with a few derivative, but somewhat effective Swedish old school death metal chops and occasional synthesizers. Vocal delivery is bland and uninspired but acceptable. 'Only Blackness Radiates' then kicks into total different gear. Opening up with a Samael-like drumbeat which leads into more predictable Swedish guitar riffs. Vocalist Facial D. (does this guy have a real name?) has a good shriek - but doesn't use it in a very interesting way. His vocals remind me of "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant" era Dimmu Borgir with some grunts thrown in for good measure. 'Saviour To the Masses' is the most technical of this recording, although that's an overstatement. The track goes through a few mildly interesting twists and turns, but overall feels flawed due to its unnatural flow. 'In Misery's Eye' has a thrash-like groove and improves slightly in the guitar department. 'Revenge Recoils' has an old school death metal feeling and groove, somewhat reminiscent of Necrophagia on their "Cannibal Holocaust" EP. The most interesting part of this track is the solo. On the level of production everything isn't well either. The snare drum sound flat, the bass drums and cymbals aren't always audible. The guitars are mixed to the forefront, although that's hardly a good thing since The Seventh fail to offer up something to chew on in this area. Also, the guitars sound odd: as if "Pure Holocaust" era Immortal played through an old Immolation album. Overall, I can't say that I'm particularly fond of this promotional recording. The Seventh need to work on more compelling material that suits their specific style. At this time the band is all over the musical charts - tapping into an abundance of genres, styles and influences - but horribly fail to address the essence. While I appreciate what this outfit is trying to do, they need to write a stronger repertoire that sounds, musically and technically, relevant to contemporary times and standards. If you absolutely need to have anything Gothenburg metal related, check out this effort.
www.theseventh.be/
