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CATEGORY 7
Category 7 With Vinyl Unboxing Video
Metal Blade Records
https://category7official.com

CATEGORY 7 is the latest 'supergroup' project courtesy of Metal Blade Records. Their self-titled debut was released on July 26, 2024. The band features vocalist John Bush (ARMORED SAINT), guitarist Mike Orlando (ADRENALINE MOB), guitarist Phil Demmel (MACHINE HEAD, KERRY KING), bassist Jack Gibson (EXODUS), and drummer Jason Bittner (SHADOWS FALL, OVERKILL).

Just like a lot of you, I grew up on Heavy Metal of the '70s, '80s, and '90s. Somewhere along the way, new bands and some classic bands got heavier and heavier than what I was used to. I enjoyed some of the new heaviness, but other styles were just too much for me (Death Metal & Hardcore for example).

I still love my Heavy Metal, but sometimes the old man in me comes out and says "this is way too loud and heavy". That's actually how I feel about the debut album by CATEGORY 7. However, the young metalhead inside me absolutely loves it, and told the old man to shut up and enjoy the ride.

The CATEGORY 7 rhythm section assaults you right off the bat on the intro section to "In Stitches". Gut-wrenching riffs and deafening double kicks clear a path for the always powerful and throaty vocals of John Bush. Mike Orlando and Phil Demmel had to have broken some strings during their shred sessions.

"Land I Used to Love" addresses how society has lost its sense of humor and how people go to great lengths to punish others they don't find funny. The track is just as intense as its predecessor. It's clear this 5 piece of Heavy Metal veterans gel exceptionally well with each other.

Jason Bittner is a beast on the drums, and let's not forget his partner on the low end Jack Gibson, who together keep the fury going on "Exhausted". Despite the heaviness of this album, Bush maintains some great vocal melodies, as he describes the torture of not being able to sleep and recover.

The name of the song is "Runaway Truck". Do I even need to say how this one hits you? The track is a fist-pumper and head banger for sure. It's the Orlando and Demmel show on "White Flags And Bayonets". Sure there's still rapid-fire coming from behind Bittner's kit, but the guitar duo is returning some considerable ammunition of their own.

"Mousetrap" infuses a little bit of a Punk Rock influence into its pacing. The lyrics are vengeful and are set to fast, angry, and pounding rhythms. "Through Pink Eyes" ebbs and flows in tempo and shifts from heavy to melodic vocals. It's accented by catchy gang chant sections. The instrumental "Etter Stormen" closes out the album with a ferocious eight minute journey through the talents of the CATEGORY 7 instrument handlers.

CATEGORY 7 is such an appropriate name for this group and release, as the music hits you with thunderous intensity and electric anthems and convictions. Forget what you know about the members' other bands, CATEGORY 7 is something fresh and new for each of them, and they are coming out of the gate hot and heavy.

4.8 Out Of 5.0

Related content:
2024 - John Bush Interview HERE