Seventh Angel
Halesowen, United Kingdom8 reviews across 4 releases
Seventh Angel is an English Christian metal band formed in Halesowen, in the West Midlands, in 1987. Early recordings presented a young four-piece built around aggressive speed metal: Red Demo had a strong guitar sound but rough production, uneven vocals, and unfinished song structures, while the 1990 cassette Heed the Warning tightened the attack into fast thrash with heavy slow passages, growled vocals, and intricate rhythm changes. Ian Arkley handled lead guitar and vocals, giving the band a recognizable abrasive center. The lyrics treated faith as a source of spiritual struggle, moving from the abortion song "Dr. Hatchet" to darker material about lust, Satan, persecution, and imprisonment on The Torment. By Lament for the Weary, the band had slowed its pace, added stronger hooks and grooves, and shaped the songs around a troubled life story.
Scott Rawson left in 1991, followed by bassist Simon Jones after the Greenbelt festival, and the group used several temporary bass players before Mark Broomhead became permanent. Seventh Angel continued touring Britain and continental Europe, then played its last show in Utrecht on December 12, 1992; the band split the following year. Ian Arkley formed the doom metal band Ashen Mortality in 1993 and later founded My Silent Wake, while drummer Andrew "Tank" Thompson went on to Freekspert. In 2008, Arkley reunited with Broomhead and Simon Bibby, while Thompson returned on drums after a 16-year break. The reunion produced The Dust of Years in 2009.
4 releases reviewed
Heed the Warning
The Torment
Lament for the Weary
Red Demo