Seventh Calling Epidemic

by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer

After the excellent, but all too brief Prelude to Madness EP, Seventh Calling is back with their second full-length album Epidemic. The Vegas (by way of Minneapolis) band has a sound that’s tough to pin down, drawing from traditional, power and thrash metal. Nevermore is a good comparison, as are Vicious Rumors and Metal Church, but over the course of two albums and as many EPs, Seventh Calling has definitely carved out their own sound. They’re a vital part of the resurgence in traditional heavy metal here in North America, but they do it without the clichés that White Wizzard and Cauldron employ (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Epidemic is a very strong, well put-together American heavy metal album. The guitar work is almost straight-up thrash, with lightning riffs worthy of Testament, but there are some powerful solos and just enough melody. The rhythms are absolutely punishing, and result in maximum headbanging. The vocals are solid, but there are times when you wish Steve Handel wouldn’t try for quite so many high notes. The lyrics run the gamut from the fantastic to the historic to pure metal anthems, but their dark nihilistic nature is what ties the songs together.

Highlights include the metal anthem “Ignite the Fire,” the epic 9-minute closing track “Beyond (the Wicked Lies)” and “Paid in Blood,” which examines the 1857 Mountain Meadows massacre of 120 civilians by Mormon leader Brigham Young. History is always bloodier than our darkest fantasies, and it makes for some very compelling songwriting material in this case.

Because of Seventh Calling’s unique sound and Epidemic’s overall strengths, this is an album that should appeal to a pretty wide array of metal fans. Whether you’re into traditional metal bands like Judas Priest and Accept, power metal bands like Iced Earth, thrash bands like Testament, or bands like Nevermore, Metal Church and Vicious Rumors that blur those genre boundaries, Epidemic should have you banging your head in no time.

Genre: Traditional Metal, Thrash Metal

Band:
Steve Handel (v) (g)
Alex Ritchey (g) (v)
Shannon Frye (d) (v)
Marc Flores (b) (v)

Track Listing:
1. Test of Time
2. Paid in Blood
3. Rising Against
4. Epidemic
5. Ignite the Fire
6. Death Dealer
7. Fractured
8. Tyrannical Reign
9. Beyond (the Wicked Lies)

Label: Heaven and Hell

Website: www.seventhcalling.com 

Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10

Seventh Calling LIVE!

June 5, 2010 at The Hideout, Omaha, Neb.

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

There are a number of excessively talented bands out there going against the grain of all that is Modern Rock and Metal, and bringing it back old school. They are doing it for the sheer love of music, and popularity be damned. Sure, bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Sevendust are all the rage, today, but when you listen to the music created by bands like White Wizzard, Pharoah, Cauldron, and another band with a “seven” in it like Seventh Calling, you can feel that Metal is going to stop being antiseptic and unabashedly corporate sometime soon. And it’s because of bands like Seventh Calling this is inevitably going to happen …

Seventh Calling blew through Omaha, Neb. June 5, in the midst of their cross-country tour pushing their brand new studio release, Epidemic, out on Heaven & Hell Records. For those lucky enough to catch them at The Hideout, a small but inordinately METAL venue, you not only would have witnessed a juggernaut on the rise, but they also came with another band hellbent on saving Metal from itself, the gents of Widow from North Carolina.

The opening band, a local group called Lords of Steel, unassumingly took the stage first. Their set consisted of raw, unpolished songs that rocked the smallish crowd, and everyone in the club had their ears set on fire by the unlimited range of singer Warren Curry. At times, he sounded like Geoff Tate and Michael Kiske of 20-plus years ago, and other times, his less soaring moments still pushed through with a Dickinson-like power. No, he wasn’t anywhere near the class of these singers who are surely the legends he looks up to, yet. But the talent is obvious. With a skilled, mohawk-wielding guitarist in Jeff Decker, and a surprisingly potent rhythm section, if Lords of Steel find their niche and continue to develop it, they might be on to something. (http://www.myspace.com/wearethelordsofsteel)

Up next was Cruz Del Sur recording act Widow, and they wasted approximately zero seconds in showing the crowd what a Metal band is supposed to sound like. Guitarist Chris Bennett is one of those effortless technicians, although he probably wouldn’t admit it. With the lead singer John Wooten IV off to the right of the stage, and the tall bald bassist Michael Wooten dead center, Widow lets you know from the get-go they will do whatever the hell they want … but certainly hope you enjoy it. Widow ripped it up with songs like “The Pleasure of Exorcism” and “Angel Sin,” and also ended their set with an ode to the fallen legend, Dio. This is the way Metal is meant to be played. If Widow is playing anywhere near you, you’d be a dolt to miss them live. The band also has a deluxe reissue out soon called Midnight Strikes … Twice and a new album in the works as well. (http://www.myspace.com/widow )

Seventh Calling closed the night, and they are a more testosterone-driven version of the bands before them. Seventh Calling slides back and forth between Classic Metal and Thrash Metal, and do it with such ease you aren’t always aware what just happened. These guys are tight; their live set sounds exactly like their studio recordings, unless they change it up on purpose. Hearing rabid tracks like “Paid in Blood” and the epic “Beyond (The Wicked Lies)” live was beyond impressive. The title track to the new CD “Epidemic” was another one of those thrash-tinged compositions that made you think that maybe if Metal Church and Megadeth wrote a song together, it’d end up sounding exactly like Seventh Calling. They even closed with a shout out to lead singer/guitarist Steve Handel’s vocal hero, the late David Wayne, and then tore up their version of the song “Metal Church.” Seventh Calling is a guitarhead’s dream, with solos and leads blazing throughout every song, and the demon-throated Handel is a force on the mic as well. Pick up their new album now. (http://www.myspace.com/seventhcalling )

With this much talent playing at such a humble venue, it does beg the question … where the hell are all the Metal fans? So you missed them all in Omaha, but Seventh Calling is heading out east, so check their itinerary and make it to a show. When bands like Widow and Seventh Calling are playing, you get the price of admission (and a great drunk) paid back a hundred times over.

Steve Handel of Seventh Calling

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

Lead singer/guitarist Steve Handel of Seventh calling checked in with Hardrock Haven to talk about the brand new debut release Epidemic; why they went with the song “Epidemic” as the title track; how they define their sounds, and if it’s somewhere between Slayer and Metal Church; the upcoming tour; specific songs like “Paid in Blood” and the 9-minute opus “Beyond (The Wicked Lies);” and a whole lot more.

Handel is a talented guitarist and METAL singer, and Seventh Calling is another one of those bands who are rebranding what the term “American Heavy Metal” really means. Tune in now to get to know Seventh Calling’s frontman, and pick up Epidemic immediately thereafter.

Online: www.myspace.com/seventhcalling

(If the embedded player doesn’t populate, click here to stream the interview in a stand alone player.)

Seventh Calling Prelude to Madness

by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer

Prelude to Madness is the second EP in as many years from Minneapolis-based traditional metal band Seventh Calling. It follows their 2007 full-length debut Monuments and the 2008 EP Excerpts from Deliverance. The band cites Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Testament and Wolf as influences, and that’s apparent in their uncomplicated, uncompromised heavy metal sound. The band most likely to come to mind when listening to these powerful, thrashing songs, though, is Vicious Rumors. The guitar riffs recall vintage thrash, as do the dark, brooding lyrics, but there’s plenty of power and just enough melody to make the songs accessible. Steve Handel’s powerful vocal performance is another real asset. Bands like Vicious Rumors and Helstar pioneered this kind of power thrash in the ’80s, and Seventh Calling is taking it into the new era.

The only real drawback of Prelude to Madness is its all too brief running time. The three songs on this EP total just over 12 minutes, so the disc ends just when you start getting a feel for the band’s sound and really enjoying the music. Another song or two, maybe a cover (this band would totally nail the Vicious Rumors song “World Church” and would probably do a great Helstar cover as well) and Prelude to Madness would feel a bit more well-rounded. Brief though it may be, the Prelude to Madness EP does offer a few multimedia extras to help seal the deal, including a video clip for “Blood Of the Divine” and an MP3 sampler of other Heaven and Hell Records artists.

If you’re a fan of traditional heavy metal, you’ll definitely want to check out Seventh Calling. Prelude to Madness may not offer much bang for the buck, but it’s still a great introduction to a band that has the potential to be the standard bearer for traditional metal in the US.

Label: Heaven and Hell Records

Track Listing:

1. Deliverance
2. Blood Of the Divine
3. Lost

Lineup:

Steve Handel – Lead Vocals/Guitar
Alex Ritchey – Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals
Shannon Frye – Drums/Backing Vocals
Marc Flores – Bass

Online: www.seventhcalling.com

Hardrock Haven Rating: 7/10