| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING In Stitches Land I Used To Love Apple Of Discord Exhausted Runaway Truck White Flags & Bayonets Mousetrap Waver At The Breaking Point Through Pink Eyes Etter Stormen Release Date: July 26, 2024 Label: Metal Blade Records Website: www.category7official.com www.facebook.com/category7band |  |
CATEGORY 7 IS:
John Bush - Vocals / Phil Demmel - Guitars / Mike Orlando - Guitars / Jack Gibson - Bass / Jason Bittner - Drums
John Bush - Vocals / Phil Demmel - Guitars / Mike Orlando - Guitars / Jack Gibson - Bass / Jason Bittner - Drums
Okay, so I'm of two minds when it comes to the idea of supergroups. First off, it's great to see members from different bands come together to create music together, especially when certain members are known for a certain style or sound, and the new project lets them bring out their other musical side(s). Secondly, the problem is that we have thousands and thousands of these assembled supergroups out there right now, and many of them never even do a live show. Many of them will just release one record and that's it. If they ever do come around to doing more stuff, it's whenever the members' schedules permit given their priorities with their main bands. The other problem is that if the project releases quality music, and the people who aren't really fans of the members' main bands end up liking it, there's a chance that they'll have to wait quite a while for any possible follow-up activities, be it another record or even a live show. Anyway, just wanted to get that off my chest.
However, there have been several supergroups over the years that have managed to capture some possible staying power and have actually managed to do some legitamate tours. As far as the recent supergroups go, one that has managed to capture a lot of people's attention is Category 7, which features John Bush on vocals, Phil Demmel and Mike Orlando on guitars, Jack Gibson on bass and Jason Bittner on drums. Now THAT's a supergroup. Plus, when I speak of the many people that it has captured the attention of, one of those people is James Hetfield, as he gave them a big shoutout as one of his favourite releases of this year. Now that's quite the endorsement.
The band's self-titled album blends heavy and intricate rhythms and virituosity with powerful and hypnotic vocal hooks and melodies. Bush's vocals take center stage while supported by the riff magic of Demmel and Orlando, as proven on tracks like "Land I Used To Know", "Apple Of Discord" and "Exhausted". You can definitely hear the echoes of each of the members' respective bands. The roots of thrash and traditional metal are on full display, all while being pushed to the next level. Jason Bittner's blistering drum intro on "Mousetrap" brings "Painkiller" vibes, without being a complete copycat of it, proving why he's one of the best in the business, and one who's been a big influence on my own playing for many years. This track, along with "Through Pink Eyes" are as aggressive and punishing as anything off the last two Exodus albums, while the epic closer "Etter Stormen" is an instrumental, bringing a much welcomed progressive flavour to the record.
Now, Category 7 was supposed to head out on their first-ever tour in 2025. However, it got cancelled due to low ticket sales, which is honestly no surprise. That's the other problem with certain supergroups. You may get an amazing response to your first release, and no matter how notable the names in the band are, going out on a headline run for your first-ever tour is not exactly the best idea because you haven't had the opportunity to build up enough of an audience to create demand for a headliner. The best thing to do would be to go out and do select festival appearances or go out as a support act for somebody, and build your following that way over the course of a couple of years or more, then once you get enough of a following across the country or world, then headline runs might be a better idea. But if you just released one record and haven't even been a band for a year, most people still haven't heard of you yet. Plus, getting attention is so hard because it's a competitive and oversaturated market.
Aside from that, Category 7 surely came out of the gate swinging with an incredibly solid first effort, and they'll definitely be sticking around, and live shows will come from them in the future. They just have to pick the right ones that will be both profitable and will work in terms of attendance and exposure. The self-titled debut is a really solid first effort from a new supergroup of legends, and I look forward to seeing where they go from here.
However, there have been several supergroups over the years that have managed to capture some possible staying power and have actually managed to do some legitamate tours. As far as the recent supergroups go, one that has managed to capture a lot of people's attention is Category 7, which features John Bush on vocals, Phil Demmel and Mike Orlando on guitars, Jack Gibson on bass and Jason Bittner on drums. Now THAT's a supergroup. Plus, when I speak of the many people that it has captured the attention of, one of those people is James Hetfield, as he gave them a big shoutout as one of his favourite releases of this year. Now that's quite the endorsement.
The band's self-titled album blends heavy and intricate rhythms and virituosity with powerful and hypnotic vocal hooks and melodies. Bush's vocals take center stage while supported by the riff magic of Demmel and Orlando, as proven on tracks like "Land I Used To Know", "Apple Of Discord" and "Exhausted". You can definitely hear the echoes of each of the members' respective bands. The roots of thrash and traditional metal are on full display, all while being pushed to the next level. Jason Bittner's blistering drum intro on "Mousetrap" brings "Painkiller" vibes, without being a complete copycat of it, proving why he's one of the best in the business, and one who's been a big influence on my own playing for many years. This track, along with "Through Pink Eyes" are as aggressive and punishing as anything off the last two Exodus albums, while the epic closer "Etter Stormen" is an instrumental, bringing a much welcomed progressive flavour to the record.
Now, Category 7 was supposed to head out on their first-ever tour in 2025. However, it got cancelled due to low ticket sales, which is honestly no surprise. That's the other problem with certain supergroups. You may get an amazing response to your first release, and no matter how notable the names in the band are, going out on a headline run for your first-ever tour is not exactly the best idea because you haven't had the opportunity to build up enough of an audience to create demand for a headliner. The best thing to do would be to go out and do select festival appearances or go out as a support act for somebody, and build your following that way over the course of a couple of years or more, then once you get enough of a following across the country or world, then headline runs might be a better idea. But if you just released one record and haven't even been a band for a year, most people still haven't heard of you yet. Plus, getting attention is so hard because it's a competitive and oversaturated market.
Aside from that, Category 7 surely came out of the gate swinging with an incredibly solid first effort, and they'll definitely be sticking around, and live shows will come from them in the future. They just have to pick the right ones that will be both profitable and will work in terms of attendance and exposure. The self-titled debut is a really solid first effort from a new supergroup of legends, and I look forward to seeing where they go from here.
FINAL RATING
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