The Torment

Mastermind Ian Arley is an English man who has been able to create 3 different bands which have gone dead with 2 releases each under the belt but he has been so creative that both releases from each band have managed to become rarities and have gone really expensive for purchasing them. With this in mind I can tell you that both the Torment and Lament for the Weary are extraordinary albums with kick ass voice, riffing, solos, drumming, bass sound and lyrical content, thus, we get crushing metal pleasure.


The keyboard opens from silence and slowly increases the volume in Tormented Forever as suddenly you get killing riffing and a perfect opener to kick your guts out. The chorus is very simple and the lyrics are focused on some Bible passages from the book of Revelation chapter 9th. Arkley’s voice can be described as a tormented and more slashing Mustaine with a deep darker feeling. The Charmer follows and it builds upon itself with a calm but dark and creepy narration to leave you with the impression that you are in the very wastelands after the destruction of the Earth. The guitar passage opens with some chords, the bass enters and then you get speed metal killer riffing. There is a middle part guitar driven where again the singing with some almost growls keep you interested in a song that clocks at almost 8 minutes. A lot of solos come up and then the song reaches the climax with slow parts and cool chords perfectly combining the leave-you-thinking atmosphere that surrounds the song.


Forbidden Desires is the most killer song in the album. It has a relentless drumming pattern and you just get astonished by its fury. The riffing part is very thrashy, very much in the vein of Sodom’s ‘Sergeant Orange’ combining speed tempo parts with more technical and mid tempo parts.


I of the Needle, Expletive Deleted (not the fastest but indeed the heaviest and darkest track), Dr. Hatchet and Locked up in Chains deal with a lot of themes, but especially remarkable are abortion in DH and the life of Pablo the Apostle when he was prisoner. The ways the songs are structured and penned give you impression of a very dark, depressive, gloomy, and lonely environment and people trying to survive in a world of darkness. These are indeed killer songs, some even faster, some more aggressive but the albums reaches the climax once you get to Katie.


Katie closes the album right before the Epilogue and it is an epic song clocking at 10min. with some amazing guitar riffs, acoustic interludes introducing the vocal parts in the beginning and at minute 6:30. Mid tempo exquisite verses and choruses where again we get relentless guitar parts very much in the vein of Sodom again. There are solos interludes masterfully performed in a way that the song impresses you with its weeping emotion. It ends with slow tempo and Arkley almost crying in agony representing the girl’s voice. This song is the perfect closer to an album but oh no… we get the real closer: The Epilogue is an acoustic song of 1:50min. and it has only one verse and its emotion lies in the clean vocal part and the flute.


This is by all means almost a perfect album because it has all the elements from thrash that you can expect and that will leave you wishing for more and most likely because the follow the same vein as countrymen Xentrix and some techniques from Sodom, Violence and Tankard but… it is not perfect because except for the structure in putting the songs because after the 3 first songs the other ones don’t top those 3 so you get a little bored until you get Katie, that is the only reason why this didn’t get the 100 but it is indeed…almost flawless.

Seventh Angel's debut album has been released on several record labels, including a remastered version from 2005, and one on Metal Mind in 2008. However, it is still very hard to come by. I was lucky enough to get my copy in a trade. I'm always eager to get hold of Christian metal I do not already own, and this band came highly recommended.

Seventh Angel were a slightly technical thrash metal band, and 'The Torment' was their first full length effort, after having released 3 demo tapes earlier on. Unfortunately, 'The Torment' didn't grab a hold of me at first. It's very well played, but the songs failed to impress me. But I've owned the disc for several years, and have kept coming back to it every now and then. So now I enjoy it, and look at it as a Christian thrash metal classic. The rapid-fire riffing is stellar, and combined with the raspy, aggressive voice of Ian serves as ingredients that are very reminiscent of many other British thrash metal acts from this era (Acid Reign, Detritus, Xentrix, Re-Animator, Sabbat). Seventh Angel didn't stand back to any of their more familiar British brothers. My only complaint now must be that the album is a bit samey. There are little or no variation within the material. But that also tells you that if you like 1 song, you are bound to like the rest of them also.

Even thought 'The Torment' was issued through familiar record labels, such as Edge/Pure Metal for the Christian market, and Under One Flag on the secular market, it failed to get the attention it deserved. Heck, the cover art by Rodney Matthews (Asia, Magnum, Nazareth etc.) alone should have been enough to create some headway for the band. But only the Christian market really seemed to care. So this album is still a gem unbeknown to most thrash metal fans. Too bad, because it really delivers as promised. You just have to give it a spin or 2 extra to really get into the groove, so to speak.

"Forbidden Desires" and "I Of The Needle" can also be found on the 'Heed The Warning' demo, recorded and released only months earlier.

Killer tracks: Tormented Forever, The Charmer, Expletive Deleted, Dr. Hatchet, Locked Up In Chains

In the 1980’s, in England, there were two Metal bands who represented two different sides. The first was Venom, from Newcastle, who was once members of the NWOBHM movement, but soon they became a Thrash/Heavy Metal band at all counts, and from the other side there was the White Christian Thrash/Heavy Metal band, Seventh Angel, from Netherton. Both bands played the same sub-genre but one was all about Satan and its peers and the other was totally gospel and discussed Christian issues. When thinking about it, this is some “conflict”. Although Venom went way back and reigned the British Thrash Metal scene along with Sabbat, still Seventh Angel were able to rise up and present God and the kingdom of heaven.

Seventh Angel, is one of the many Metal Mind Records reissues, will get closure on their two albums. Their debut, which will be reviewed here, The Torment from 1990 (exact date is the 1st of December) and their second, and final for now from 1992, Lament For The Weary. Both albums released under the label, Under One Flag/MFN.

Ian Arkley and Scott Rawson formed the band in 1987 in the West Midlands, England. They released three demos between the years 1989-1990. The 1990 demo, Heed The Warning, was later released with the band’s live compilation in 2005, Heed The Warning – Live and a couple of songs from this same demo were presented in the 1991 five-split album, White Metal Warriors.

Under supervising and production by Paul Hodson, in the Mad Hat Studios in Wolverhampton, the group was able to achieve an almost high quality level of sound. The whole album itself sounds like Thrash Metal infused with classic Doom Metal. This piece’s sound is very dark and provides the sense of Venom, but with the purpose to became the opposite end. One notices these dark sensations by the depressed and filthy guitar sounds along with various chorused, soft and melodic verses. The bass, as in many Thrash Metal bands and even Heavy Metal ones, is in charge of the atmosphere around the tracks. The drums, sometimes, sound like they are not a part of the other instruments but you have to get use to it in a way. The one thing that is annoying is that there are some good tracks here but their endings sound like the tracks were cut off before completion.

Seventh Angel, as it seems from this release, were influenced a lot by Venom’s music but not by their lyrical themes. They mixed Venom’s style with the White Metal theme along with some Classic Doom Metal a'la the Swedish Candlemass and the English Witchfinder General.

While listening to their Thrash Metal roots, which Venom are also included in them , there are several bands that come to mind like the English Sabbat and a small dose of Kreator and Slayer. Seventh Angel’s music is routine with its Thrash Metal rhythms that are very much like Slayer’s early works. Here are various examples: “Forbidden Desires” , “Tormented Forever” and “Dr. Hatchet”. Nevertheless, they created some amazing melodic solo breaks that make their release, somewhat special, than other English Thrash Metal Acts. In order to make the album a bit more “White”, they added some touches of melodic soft rhythms like in the two epics, “The Charmer” , “Epilogue” and the magnificent, “Katie”. As an example, for the Doom Metal elements just listen to the bonus track “Lamentations”. A final interesting component to the music are the small additional instruments like the flute and other small effects, all managed by the producer, Paul Hodson.

Seventh Angel, as a religious band, talks about their main theme, which is Christianity. Their view of the world has some twists and turns in it. In the first track, “Tormented Forever” , like in any religion, they take on all the sinners and Satan himself. Their third verse in this track very much reminds of the days of the inquisition – accept Christ or die sort of way. The track “The Charmer” , can be recognized as a continuence of the former but less fanatic. It talks about false preachers and the purity of Christ. “Forbidden Desires” is the well known story of the Garden Of Eden. “Dr. Hatchet” has a different sense to it, it’s more like many Thrash Metal songs about maniacal killers. This time it is about a serial killer of unborn children.

Although this sort of theme is regular, Seventh Angel adds the religious message of judgment day and Hatchet’s referral to the evil power. “Katie” is another story about a woman and the devotion to Christ.

Overall, the lyrics are well written and very interesting. Although it was the band’s choice from the get go, the lyrics of religion are , in most cases, repeating themselves a lot and that the track’s main dependence is on the music and its creators.

Arriving at this point, the main character in this group is the vocalist, Ian Arkley. Arkley is both vocalist and rhythm guitarist. From what is inferred from the release, his voice is very versatile and flexible. His voice range is a sort of mix between Sabbat’s frontman and leader, Martin Walkyier along with some Angelripper , Venom’s Cronos and D.A.M’s whiny frontman, Jason McLoughlin . This multiple mixture creates a hell of a singer that can do harsh verses along with soft and emotive sections. Another person that should get a mention is the lead guitarist, Scott Rawson, who is contributing a lot for this release with amazing dark , melodic solos like in: “Katie” , “The Charmer” and “Dr. Hatchet”. His solos, especially goes well with the doomy part of the band’s music.

Seventh Angel made a more than solid release but they had somewhat failed to touch this Thrasher’s feelings although it holds those excellent pieces like “Katie”, “The Charmer” and even the strong doomer , “Lamentations”, that are full of emotions. However, in general, the Brits did the job on their first release. The fanatic opener, “Tormented Forever” is a killer track; totally, a thrasher along with “Expletive Deleted” and the best of all thrashers here, “Dr. Hatchet” – killer of the unborn.

This was part one of two reviews on the English Christian Thrash group, Seventh Angel. The band did well on their first attempt to rock the boat. Let’s see how good their second release was and its impact.