Seventrain debut cd review.
Rarely do you hear something from a new band on the scene that blows your senses instantly.
That happened to me with Seventrain.
Who are Seventrain?
This is from their bio.
Seventrain performed together for the first time in the fall of 2012 in San Diego, California at a memorial show for the late Vincent John Crudo, (otherwise known as “Big Vinnie”), who was a respected local sound technician and bass player in the Southern California area.
Guitarist Eric Horton, who had previous worldwide success with his former power metal band Cage, assembled some admired local musicians to play a handful of cover songs at the memorial show. Shortly after this performance, the guys decided to record an album of material that guitarist Eric Horton and vocalist Jon Campos had been working on. Eric recruited former 24-7 Spyz (Atlantic/Eastwest Records) drummer Joel Maitoza to produce and play drums on the album along with guitarist Jef Poremba (Coffi Baker, 6ONE9), vocalist Jon Campos (Dive Bomber) and bassist Greg Rupp (My Middle Finger, 6ONE9) who appeared on the CD, but was replaced by Steve (Dino) Andino () shortly after the recording of the album.
Following a few months of pre-production, they started recording the debut album in the spring of 2013 at DML Studios with engineer Don Lithgow (Blink 182, New Found Glory, Finch) lovingly tracked in analog on 2” tape on real instruments.
Raw, stripped down, blues-based hard rock consisting of powerful vocals and soulful harmonies backed by a hard-hitting rhythm section. Influences include
Seventrain draws from a variety of influences. When you listen to the bands music, you immediately identify with the honesty & integrity of many of the great 70's hard rock icons combined with the intensity and ability of today’s top hard rock artists. Not only does Seventrain have the ability to take rock music to the extreme, it also has the depth to create very emotional songs that send a strong universal message. The bands music transcends the trends and fads that plague today’s popular music.
You sometimes read a bio and think h'mm. But this time I can relate to it. They have songs that hit extremely hard but also have some real depth and a maturity that you can only shake your head at, that this is their debut cd.
Who do they sound like? Seventrain that's who! I hear the influences that they mentioned above but also the twin leads on the guitar solos of Thin Lizzy or Whitesnake, Bad Company, Free, Tesla and Lynyrd Skynyrd and Black Sabbath on the heavier songs.
If you love classic rock played with emotion, wonderful musicianship and vocals to die for then you have to pick this cd up.
I will try to do the cd justice in words although I'm not sure that is possible.
" Bleeding " kicks the cd off in a heavy mode. A huge riff that could stop an elephant in its tracks with a drum rhythm from Joel Maitoza that hits hard and is anything but predictable. When vocalist Jon Campos hollers the word "Bleeding" you can almost see his vocal chords doing the same. A melodic guitar solo with some immense bass and drum patterns going on only adds to the song which will kill in the live setting.
" Rays Of The Sun " takes it down a notch with a slightly downtuned riff and another great chorus.The twin lead guitar solo which is hugely melodic gives the middle of the song a real class feel.
" Change " was the first song that I had heard and has a real classic rock feel. Huge main chugging riff with a slight Zakk Wylde feel to it, great chorus and drum patterns that are ever changing and another guitar solo from the gods.
" Broken " is the first slower song with a picked acoustic riff and a real chance to let Jon Campos on vocals to show his class. Emotion comes out of every pore and you just know the guitar solo will hit the spot. Slower restrained and telling a story Jef Poremba's solo just does that. The song ends with an extended guitar solo that builds the song to a real crescendo.
Quite brilliant.
" Pain " only takes the cd higher with an acoustic led number that builds up for every chorus and the vocals are again at a level rarely seen. The vocals sound like a one off take with every note sang like it is his last. An acoustic mid song solo and then the song ends with Jon putting every last ounce into his vocals with a guitar solo playing along to the vocals. Again superb.
"Trouble " starts with a an acoustic riff which reminds me of " Heavens Trail" by Tesla and an impassioned whisky drenched vocal before a huge riff kicks and the song turns into a real stomp with another huge chorus and very bluesy guitar solo.
" Never " is a real driving song with a great riff and urgent feel to it. The chorus with backing vocals you can just imagine all the fans at gigs shouting straight back at the band. The guitar solo on this song is a little different. As it starts single ,goes into dual mode and then back to single for a bit of a shred fest.
"Bittersweet Seduction" has the Skynyrd feel to it. With an acoustic and slide guitar start and passionate vocal before a huge riff kicks in at the same time as the chorus. The song really ebbs and flows with another acoustic led part before back to the chorus again. Another slower guitar solo hits the spot before the songs ends as it began with an acoustic and slide outro.
" How Does It Feel " would have been all over MTV and rock radio back in the 70's and 80's. Another acoustic led song with impassioned vocals and a song that builds after the second chorus with a guitar solo that when you think has finished starts again and goes to another level. The vocal and guitar solo that ends the song again is superb.
" Carry The Cross "is a heavy rocker with a slower riff and drum pattern rhythm and large chorus with a real chugging riff to finish the song when you can imagine devil horns being thrown.
"Let It Out " starts with an acoustic guitar start before the main riff kicks although the acoustic is heard through out the song. I love how the main guitar solo again nearly stops before kicking in again before it builds to a dual melodic solo that in total lasts over a minute. It is great that if they want to put in extra solo's they do and see no boundaries.
11 songs of a real classic rock that if a major league band had put it out they would say a welcome return to form.
For 49 minutes let yourself be taken on a journey that few bands could ever pull off .The fact that this is a debut cd is just mind blowing.
Simply quite superb and when it is released in the US on the 18th of February on So Cal Records/Alliance Entertainment here's hoping they go onto be the household names they deserve to be.
The album is currently available for pre-order on iTunes Preview which includes
an instant download of their first single titled Change at this location:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/
Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/seventrain
Here are a taster of a couple of songs that I believe will be part of the debut cd of 2014.
