Sevendials: A Crash Course In Catastrophe
(Cadiz Music/ CreationYouth)
Vinyl | CD | DL
Released 11 April
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
What do you get if you cross a Cock, a Joke and a couple of blokes on a Mission to the Ministry? A supergroup named Sevendials who bring you a crash course in huge Gothic stadium sound that rocks like fuck. Wayne AF Carey checks it out..
About the band:
In the 19th century, London’s West End area known as Seven Dials was notoriously dangerous and disreputable; a very dangerous place to be after dark. This darkness and danger provided the perfect inspiration for the dusky, foreboding sounds created by the new musical union now known as SEVENDIALS.
Renowned musicians MARK GEMINI THWAITE, BIG PAUL FERGUSON & CHRIS CONNELLY, uninterested in resting on their collective laurels as members of KILLING JOKE, THE MISSION, MINISTRY, REVOLTING COCKS, MURDER INC, MOB RESEARCH and PETER MURPHY, have united to bring you a staggering monolith of melody and malady, volume and velocity and a brace of brilliant songs, reflecting all the tension, angst and spiritual bankruptcy of the times, along with some brighter than neon dance compulsions: It’s all here in ‘A CRASH COURSE IN CATASTROPHE’, the debut album by SEVENDIALS, due for release April 11th via CADIZ MUSIC/CREATIONYOUTH, the newly formed record label by legendary KILLING JOKE bassist and producer MARTIN ‘YOUTH’ GLOVER and CREATION RECORDS guru and industry icon ALAN MCGEE.
“Using the stars to guide you because the terrain is always too dark: are the stars twinkling with hope? Or are they spent and dead infernos? The word ZODIAC began to have negative implications when the ZODIAC KILLER became part of the collective zeitgeist, anti-morals, zodiac morals,” explain the band.
What LTW say:
This is a blistering ten song attack from the masters of noise culminating in one big ball of pounding drums, huge riffs and husky vocals. They bizarrely start with a Sparks cover of Number One Song In Heaven which sound massive, especially with the monstrous drum beat backed by a Geordie-esque riff from MGT and the obligatory synth sounds staright from the sound of the Mael Brothers. Wolves is another hard hitter with slamming drums and a belting guitar riff overlaid by Connelly’s sermon like vocals keeping you enthralled. Another massive riff introduces Knife Without Asking, a slow paced psych goth number with a hint of doom lurking out of the murk. The production is solid and the drums are high in the mix with the commanding sound of Big Paul Ferguson.
Zodiac Morals is just huge in every way. Connelly sounds like a dark bastard, laying over his Bowie-esque vocals with a chunky guitar note, more huge drums and an anthemic chorus that blows you away. An epic track from the trio who have more experience under their belts than most. It’s got a Killing Joke vibe running throughout which will be no surprise to the old school fans. Obsession is another cover of the original Michael De Barre tune and kicks in with tribal drums and a trance like dance vibe that builds into a hypnotic goth pop dance number that could grace any dance floor as it did back in the day. The vocals from New York performance Ashley Bad just make it all click like my knees when I try to dance. Whispering Wand tones it down with a country style guitar lick introducing us to a Depeche Mode like dark bit of noir, layered with sliding guitars and a repetitive beat rolled into Connelly’s smooth husky tones making it all hypnotic in stature.
Before You Make Your Distance is a dark goth number with a chugging riff that changes into a nice ringing melody then splashes back into a huge sound, a stop start tune that’s smattered with the large beats from Ferguson’s arsenal of percussion. Hypnotic and anthemic from the start. Corrupted Verse delves into a touch of electronica, a creepy mellow tune with hints of Black Star era Bowie and even Chameleons at one point, until Connelly strangely flirts with Steve Kilbey from The Church and warped psychedelia. It’s a magic piece of songwriting that sounds massive. Too High To Live is goth rock at it’s height. A proper cruncher with a heavy riff and a funky as fuck drum beat. “I’m extreme as my measures, I’m too high to live” proclaims Chris Connelly in a prophetic moment of wisdom. He always ends up in a fight. Closing track Weathervane Days is an electronica beauty that fights it’s way out of the storm. A nice psych piece that again flirts with Bowie and Kilbey, yet brings Connelly to the front with his inimitable vocals. It’s a haunting bow out to a cracking debut from this trio of legends who can still command a tune or ten.
Vocals: Chris Connelly
Guitars/bass/keys/programming – Mark Gemini Thwaite
Drums and percussion – Big Paul Ferguson
Bass on 3, 9 – Chris Kniker
All songs written by Connelly/Ferguson/Thwaite except 3, 9 – Connelly/Ferguson/Kniker/
except ‘Number One Song in Heaven’ (Ron & Russell Mael – SPARKS) and ‘Obsession’ (written by Michael Des Barres)
Recorded and mixed by Mark Gemini Thwaite at Mob Research Laboratories, Los Angeles USA
Big Paul Ferguson recorded drum kit & Bodhran @ Drumnsteelworks, Baltimore MD.
Mastered by Tim Turan @ Turan Audio, Oxford UK
Art Direction & design by Mark Rubenstein www.TheeMarkives.com
This album is dedicated to the memory of Geordie Walker and Mont Sherar. May they rest in peace.
Find Sevendials online at: www.thesevendials.com
Words by Wayne Carey, Reviews Editor for Louder Than War. His author profile is here
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