With veteran musicians from such legendary bands as Anthrax, Armored Saint, Adrenaline Mob, Machine Head, Overkill, Exodus, and Shadows Fall, it’s hard not to think of Category 7 as a supergroup.
“I think we’re pretty super,” jokes guitarist Phil Demmel, who has earned mega-metal cred over the decades as a member of Machine Head, Vio-Lence, Kerry King, and has also played as a fill-in road guitarist for Slayer, Lamb of God, Overkill, and others. “Really, I feel like this is a band, not a side project. And I feel like we have written this incredible piece of music, and we’re not done. I’m so proud of the way this came together and the people who were involved. And I think we all feel super positive about this and what else we can do with it going forward.“
The songs on the band’s self-titled debut speak for themselves. As crushing and confrontational as an armed rebellion, as rhythmically thunderous as a storm of golf ball-sized hail, and as fiercely melodic as infectious riffs and aggressive vocals can be, Category 7 is a new breed of metal that lives up to the storied histories of its members. They’re as heavy as a battleship, yet the songs are meticulously structured, skillfully balancing thrash beats, New Wave of British Heavy Metal rhythms, punk metal attitude, blistering and ferocious dual guitar work, and scar-inflicting vocals.
“It’s all about big verses and big songs, and it has a lot of the elements we’ve explored in our other bands,” explains guitarist and main songwriter Mike Orlando (Adrenaline Mob, Sonic Universe, Noturnall).
Category 7, named after the numerical designation for the most powerful wind storms, came together from a batch of musicians who strived to play music they loved and weren’t hearing elsewhere, and wanted to do so with bandmates they enjoyed being with. Orlando and Demmel became friends after taking part in a batch of tributes to the late Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads. The seeds of Category 7 were then cemented one night a couple years later when Orlando went to hang out at the Clifton, New Jersey metal club Dingbatz as Demmel was filling in on lead guitar for Overkill, which also featured Shadows Fall drummer Jason Bittner.
“We were hanging out and tearing it up, and between beers we were like, ‘Hey, we need to do something,’” recalls Demmel. “We need to write some new music. We’ve got three-fifths of a band here. Let’s get together and do some songs.”
Category 7 are:
John Bush: Vocals
Mike Orlando: Guitar
Phil Demmel: Guitar
Jack Gibson: Bass
Jason Bittner: Drums
Limited LP turquoise black marbled vinyl pressing
*Please note - image is a mock up only, actual colours may vary on finished product*
Tracklisting
Side A:
1. In Stitches
2. Land I Used to Love
3. Apple of Discord
4. Waver at the Breaking Point
Side B:
5. Mousetrap
6. Exhausted
7. White Flags and Bayonets
8. Runaway Truck
9. Through Pink Eyes
