Lament for the Weary
Encyclopedia
Lament for the Weary is Christian
thrash metal band Seventh Angel
's second album, released in 1992 on Music for Nations
. The album saw the band incorporating doom metal
elements to thrash. The album garnered generous reviews from British music press at the time.
.
On the album, the style changed to a more progressive and atmospheric combination of doom metal and thrash. The guitars were tuned down to D, and the compositions include acoustic passages such as on the title track, driven with a samples of raining to create a melancholic atmosphere. The drummer Tank's musicianship is more varied compared to that on The Torment
. The album begins with a mid-tempo instrumental. The tempo increases as "Life in All its Emptiness" begins. Arkley plays curbed yet intimidating solos and melodies on technical rhythm guitar riffs. Lament for the Weary is a concept album
about a man who suffered abuse during childhood and in adulthood struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts. On his deathbed he gets his childhood faith back and is not afraid to die anymore.
wrote in an issue published on June 1, 1992 that Lament for the Weary is a clear improvement over The Torment and called Lament "superior thrash". In a 2005 review of the albums re-issue, The Whipping Post's Matt Morrow states that Lament for the Weary belongs to one of the very best albums of heavy metal music in general and that the album is "a classic in every sense of the word". In the 2005 re-issue edition's liner notes, Nick Bolton writes that "the guitar work led one reviewer to declare that the album contains some of the best guitar solos he had ever heard". After the release the band played concerts in Germany and Holland.
Christian metal
Christian metal, also known as white metal, is a form of heavy metal music usually defined by its message in a song's lyrics as well as the band's dedication to Christianity...
thrash metal band Seventh Angel
Seventh Angel
Seventh Angel are a British Christian heavy metal band that formed in 1987. According to Cross Rhythms magazine, they were considered to be thrash metal pioneers, and they released the albums The Torment and Lament for the Weary...
's second album, released in 1992 on Music for Nations
Music For Nations
Music For Nations was a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. They were a subsidiary of the larger label distributor Zomba Records who in turn is owned by BMG....
. The album saw the band incorporating doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
elements to thrash. The album garnered generous reviews from British music press at the time.
Recording history
The album was recorded during July 4-16, 1991 at ICC Studios with producer Roy Rowland. The album was mixed in August. The coverart was done by British fantasy artist Rodney MatthewsRodney Matthews
Rodney Matthews is a fantasy artist and illustrator.In 1978, he published Yendor: The Journey of a Junior Adventurer, a hard-back picture book featuring his distinctive paintings of "The Wild Country", a fantasy world seen through the eyes of young Yendor, named after his son...
.
On the album, the style changed to a more progressive and atmospheric combination of doom metal and thrash. The guitars were tuned down to D, and the compositions include acoustic passages such as on the title track, driven with a samples of raining to create a melancholic atmosphere. The drummer Tank's musicianship is more varied compared to that on The Torment
The Torment
The Torment is the first studio album by the British thrash metal band Seventh Angel, released on Music for Nations label in 1990. The album established the band as "one of England's leading thrash metal bands" by The Daily Telegraph...
. The album begins with a mid-tempo instrumental. The tempo increases as "Life in All its Emptiness" begins. Arkley plays curbed yet intimidating solos and melodies on technical rhythm guitar riffs. Lament for the Weary is a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
about a man who suffered abuse during childhood and in adulthood struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts. On his deathbed he gets his childhood faith back and is not afraid to die anymore.
Reception
Lynn Williams of UK magazine Cross RhythmsCross Rhythms
Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England.-History:The roots of what was to become Cross Rhythms go back to two separate sources which merged in 1991. In 1983, broadcaster Chris Cole started a 30-minute weekly Christian music radio show on Plymouth Sound FM, a...
wrote in an issue published on June 1, 1992 that Lament for the Weary is a clear improvement over The Torment and called Lament "superior thrash". In a 2005 review of the albums re-issue, The Whipping Post's Matt Morrow states that Lament for the Weary belongs to one of the very best albums of heavy metal music in general and that the album is "a classic in every sense of the word". In the 2005 re-issue edition's liner notes, Nick Bolton writes that "the guitar work led one reviewer to declare that the album contains some of the best guitar solos he had ever heard". After the release the band played concerts in Germany and Holland.
Track listing
- "Recollections of a Life Once Lived" - 2:52
- "Life in All Its Emptiness" - 5:14
- "No Longer a Child" - 5:56
- "Full of Blackness" - 6:02
- "Lament for the Weary" - 2:19
- "Woken by Silence" - 6:20
- "Falling Away from Reality" - 4:55
- "Dark Shadows" - 5:34
- "Passing of Years" - 4:15
- "Secure in Eternity" - 6:05
- "Farewell to Human Cries" - 6:11
Seventh Angel
- Ian Arkley - Lead and Acoustic Guitars & Vocals
- Scott Rawson - Rhythm and Acoustic Guitars
- Tank - Drums
- Simon Jones - Bass
External links
- Album at Metal-Archives