REVIEWS

RUBBER AMERICA

RUBBER AMERICA was recently named one of 1998's best CD's in the Dallas / Ft. Worth area by Andie Jones of HARDER BEAT magazine / Dec. '98. Her comment: "It's still in my CD player!"

This rocks! Smooth, hard, groovy, bluesy, melodic, meaningful lyrics type rock...the kind that makes your body and soul move. Every single track on this burn kills! The lyrics for "F.L.S." are deep; "floating, levitated soul-looking down on you, and you-god, you will never know." The music grabs you and rocks so hard, you might bite your tongue! "Hero" is a hard drivin' plea to all those nonexistent super heros. "Where are you, my superman-where are you my John Wayne 'duke?" are the words of woe that vocalist (and what a vocalist!), James Arnett, belts out. Guitarist Jimmy Adcock and Mark Stroface' must be twin souls, jammin' like they've played lifetimes together. Check 'em out on track tweleve, "2nd Chances." And how could this sound so good withouut the synchronistically solid skin pounding of Scott Crawford? Plus theres three bonus tracks! The first is a Muddy Waters style blues. The other two I'll leave for you to discover....'cause you gotta hear this CD!!

-Andie Jones/Harder Beat Nov. '98-

Another talented local band. SEVENTH VEIL would do well to shop this disc to the labels. There are many standouts, including "6000 years", "Mr. Right Man", "Joyride", and "Cockroach Society". The band sports two talented guitarists in Jimmy Adcock and Mark Stroface', as well as a charismatic lead singer in James Arnett. Not to be outdone, the rhythm section of Scott Crawford and John Cruz (drums and bass, respectively) hold down the grooves with an excellent sense of feeding off each other. All gels well on "Rubber America", the cover art fits the overall feel of the record, which, judging by the lyrics to "Clean", seems to be simplifying one's own life and exorcising demons. Gentlemen, your hard work in putting "Rubber America" together has not gone unnoticed. I'd say this album stands a good chance at landing the boys a deal in the future.

-Dale Lammers/HARDER BEAT Jun. '98-

The thunder-crash opener "6000 Years" shows the true face of SEVENTH VEIL. Filled with thick and rich powerchord textures by duel guitarists Jimmy Adcock and Mark Stroface', SEVENTH VEIL'S hard rock technique emulates that of robust rockers by Thin Lizzy. The slow tempo songs are done with emotion and depth while the up-tempo treats will crack your whip. Vocalist James Arnett lends his raw biting vocals to some good hard rock tunes supported by drummer Scott Crawford and bassist John Cruz. Great CD from a Texas band for the die-hard rock fan.

-Sandy Serge/Bands On The Run Aug. '98-

Who ever said that rock 'n roll was dead? Seventh Veil's latest release, Rubber America, defies that assertion and seeks to bring forth the glory of groovy, hard rock back into the 90's (maybe into the next millennium?). With influences from The Cult, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Megadeth (huh?), Lenny Kravitz, etc, you could probably paint a rough picture of what the band's gonna sound like. Well, you shouldn't be too far from the truth and chances are, if you think you're gonna like the band, then getting this album wouldn't be too great a risk. For there are some really neat and groovy tracks that are worth checking out.

The general concept of the album seems to convey the message of decadence, amidst personal relationships and freedom of expression. Well, what would you expect? Rubber America says it all.

The album opens with "6000 years". A mid-tempo, light rock piece that allows for very comfortable listening and sets you in the right mood. This light, groovy, bluesy rock style is prevalent throughout the album and tempo's just right for a smooth cruise down the musical highway.

Various other highlights include "Just don't know", "f.l.s. (Floating, Levitated Soul)", "Cockroach Society" (this is probably my favourite track with an extremely cool chorus), "How I feel" (which is their acoustic hit song), "Train to Memphis", "Hero", "2nd Chances" (it has a very cool acoustic intro riff and is a rather nice ballad in general), plus three bonus tracks that are pretty neat, but are not listed in the album inlays. Listening to album does give me a sense of nostalgia and I'm not sure I know why. But a cool listen nevertheless.

Rock n Roll Chart Rating : 7.0

-Jason Goh/Artifact Magazine April '99-

A band of many faces, as it mixes a dirty distortion with a bluesy grunge sound at times, and also showing light sprinkles of the psychodelic.
"6000 years" is a bass- heavy slow pulse, and begins the roller-coaster ride in fine fashion. Some of the heavier points include the bottom-ended drive of "Hero," the chunking riff of "F.L.S.," a heavy-handed approach to "Ramses," and "Train to Memphis," with its absolutely infectious groove chug.
A nice rhythm moves "Mr. Rightman," and the punchy "Joyride" stands out as well.
A little patience at the end of the disc will reveal an unexpected hidden track--something named along the lines of "Take a Little Piece"-- which has a nice slow drive to it.
In all, a group with adapts well to numerous styles. The talent is definitely there; it should only improve with time.

Rating: 7.0 (out of 10)

TRACK LIST: 6000 Years/Just Don't Know/Mr. Rightman/F.L.S./Coackroach Society/How I Feel/Ramses/No Reason/Joyride/ Train to Memphis/Hero/2nd Chances/Clean

-ULTIMATE METAL REVIEWS / Jan. '99-

PRIMER

SEVENTH VEIL may conjure up visions of the exotic east, but in reality this is a hard-hitting, diverse, progressive-edged band from Texas, now audible on a six song EP called PRIMER", on which opener "Mistress" and groovin' kicker "Green Paper" are the standouts.

-Rock on the Rise/ METAL EDGE Dec. '96-

Out of the middle east comes SEVENTH VEIL to relieve you of your heavy metal boredom (They aren't really from the middle east, but it sounds good doesen't it!). Even though they're homeboys they still give you something good to listen to. Some hard rock, some easy rock, a little country twang makes Primer a refreshing change. With great guitar harmonies, strong vocals, and a formidable rhythm section - you label their music and then -BAM- when you least expect it, they change styles in the middle a song.

-Dixie Beasley/HARDER BEAT-

If YOU would like to do a review of either "PRIMER" or "RUBBER AMERICA" to be included on this website as well as in our newsletter, you can either e-mail your review to us via the e-mail link or you can send it to us at the address given on the merchandise page.

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