Progressive
metal band from Albuquerque, NM formed in 1992 by Gregory Analla and guitarist
Dan Rivera.They were joined by drummer Richard Nance, also a New Mexico native.
The line-up was completed by bass player Glenn Krause. Seventhsign quickly recorded
a highly praised 6-song EP/CD/demo, Blueprint (1993). At this point, Seventhsign
was ready to hit the road. They quickly made a name for themselves thanks to
countless shows, from small clubs to arenas (where they opened for the likes
of Slaughter, Winger, Extreme, Vince
Neil, and even Queensryche).
Japanese label Alfa signed the band and with producer George Tutko (XYZ, Lita Ford, Journey),
they recorded their first album, "Perpetual Destiny" in 1996, on which
Rich "Rev" Evans replaced Glen Krause. The European press then discovered Seventhsign
at the Foundations Forum and a European deal was soon signed with a German label,
InsideOut. Perpetual Destiny was re-released in Europe with a new cover artwork,
a new booklet and a bonus track ("Liquified"). After touring across
the USA with new bassist Tom Micheals (ex-Ultimatum)
, the band then released their second full length album, "Transparent"
(US) /"Millennium" (Japan) (1997). Seventhsign unfortunately split
in mid-1997. Vocalist Gregg Analla has moved on to sing with Roy Z's Tribe
of Gypsies, as well as sang backup on projects by Rob
Rock and Bruce Dickinson.
Bassist Tom Micheals who left Ultimatum to join Seventhsign, rejoined Ultimatum. and recorded and co-wrote part of their 2001 release "The Mechanics of
Perilous Times."
1. "Losing You"
(3:34) OK first of all, the name of their publishing company is "Maximumheaviosity Music." Cool name! Anyhow, this indie release is a mixed affair. Songs 1,2, and 6 are commercial, melodic, heavy metal numbers, while songs 3-5 are slower, melodic, progressive metal tracks. While it might sound like the two wouldn't fit together, all the songs hold together well because of the excellent vocals of Gregg Analla, who sounds like a cross between Ray Alder (Fates Warning,) Geoff Tate (Queensryche) and Zachary Stevens (Savatage.) If that doesn't give you a clue as to how good Gregg is then you probably are not a true metalhead. My favorite song is the lengthy "Beholder," as it is a slow heavy number with a killer riff and haunting vocals. Seventhsign would record this song again after signing a deal with a large Japanese company for their next disc, but I always liked this version best. |
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Seventhsign - Blueprint (independent)
1993
1. "Aurora" (5:13) |
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Seventhsign - Perpetual Destiny (independent) 1994Seventhsign are now completely steeped in progressive metal, sounding like a heavier version of Fates Warning. The band's strengths are in the unique guitar style of Dan Rivera and the strong clean vocals of Gregg Analla. The music contained is excellent, influenced heavily by "Operation: Mindcrime" era Queensryche and perhaps "Parallels"-era Fates Warning. Every song has a strong hook. If a label had put some money and marketing behind this band, they could have been at least as popular as Dream Theatre if not reaching the success of Queensryche. Locally the band received a lot of air play on Z-Rock which in the early 90's was a killer hard rock/metal format station. Unfortunately, "Perpetual Destiny" was only released in Japan and people were paying upwards of $35 for a copy of this import. As much as I like them, I wouldn't pay $35. There are few bands, if any, that I would spend $35 on a single cd. In any case, the band decided to release a limited edition domestic version since they could not secure a US deal. This is the version I have. I'm not sure if the Japanese version is different or not but the mastering on this disc is weak, however if you crank the volume up a bit, it makes no difference.
Seventhsign - Transparanent (independent) 1997
1. "N68692" (:21)
2. "Conquerium" (4:12)
3. "Eve of Forever" (5:07)6
4. "Infinity x 2" (3:30)
5. "River of Images" (5:29)
6. "Transparent" (5:27)
7. "Radio Sky" (5:32)
8. "Mirror Cage" (5:17)
9. "Rift" (3:42)
10. "Phade" (2:19)
11. "Emotional Array" (4:56)
12. "The Search" (4:03)
Woa! Ex-Ultimatum bassist Tom Micheals joins the ranks of Seventhsign and adds a whole new dimension to their sound. The bands commercial hooks are less apparent and a new King's X influence has crept in pushing the band into new areas of progressive metal and groove. "River of Images" has the most obvious King's X influence with it's slow heavy groove. "Transparent" is a clean, acoustic number. Tom offers up a bass solo called "Phade". "Emotional Array" recalls the more commercial material from the last two Seventhsign albums. While the band's last disc offers more memorable commercial hooks, fans of the more complex songwriting of prog-metal will probably like this disc better. I'm sort of torn between the two. One the one hand I like the commercial hooks of "Perpetual Destiny" on the other hand this album has some strong songs and superior production. Not unlike "P.D." this disc was released on a Japanese label first (under the title "Millenium"). The band later released this domestic version.