Band:	Category 7
Album:	Category 7
Style:	Heavy metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	July 2024
A review by:	omne metallum

01. In Stitches
02. Land I Used To Love
03. Apple Of Discord
04. Exhausted
05. Runaway Truck
06. White Flags And Bayonets
07. Mousetrap
08. Waver At The Breaking Point
09. Through Pink Eyes
10. Etter Stormen

Look what the wind blew in.

It seems lately that you can't throw a drumstick without hitting a supergroup, to the point that you can only question what's so super about half of these groups. With little in the way of merit from the releases produced by these bands before they fade into obscurity, it in turn makes it hard to really get excited about any prospective future projects. When Category 7 burst onto the scene, however, something seemed different this time, with a grouping that lived up to the "super" epiphet; this feeling is only reinforced when you get your hands on Category 7, as you will hear that this group earns that title, and then some.

Exodus, Machine Head, Armored Saint and Overkill are just some of the bands that Category 7 gets its pedigree from. While it's easy to look at who is in the band and taste the grass as your jaw hits the floor, many will have been burnt by supergroups before and rightly remain skeptical until the finished product is in their hands.

If that doesn't catch your attention, then the roaring opening of "In Stitches" will, as it signals in an album of high-octane metal that sees the melting pot of talent coalesce into hardened steel. The combined experience and talents in Category 7 complement each other perfectly, as "Land I Used To Love" highlights, keeping the power high, yet mixing in harmonies and melodies that make for an infectious track. These two songs sum up what Category 7 has to offer: thrash-tinged heavy metal that forgoes any self-indulgence and keeps the power near the limit. It's ten tracks of propulsive, powerful metal that live up to the supergroup moniker and then some.

The bombast and blasting of "Runaway Truck" may not be the most adventurous track, but its propulsive combination of Bittner's high energy drumming, Bush's powerful vocals and the duo Demmel and Orlando on guitar makes the song's title very fitting, as it is a constant energy rush. Towards the end of the album, the band do shake things up, with the effects-laden "Through Pink Eyes" and instrumental closer "Etter Stormen" offering good tweaks to the formula just as the ground already walked was starting to fallow slightly.

Category 7 turn the dial up on their approach to heavy metal, winning over fans through talent, bombast and solid songwriting. This, however, is unlikely to win over those find this genre stale or in need of revitalising beyond a (category 7 strength) breath of fresh air. While the band fly by loud and proud in their lane, the lack of change in direction may find some listeners left wanting.

Putting the super in supergroup, Category 7 live up to the hype and blow by it, exceeding expectations with an album that manages to be as good as the sum of its parts. The band whip up a storm, and it makes for one hell of a listen.