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Lament for the Weary

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Lament for the Weary
Studio album by
Seventh Angel
Released1992
Recorded4–16 July 1991
StudioICC Studios in Eastbourne, England
GenreChristian metal, thrash metal, doom metal
Length55:45
LabelEdge Records, Under One Flag (Music for Nations), Metal Mind Productions, Retroactive Records
ProducerRoy M. Rowland
Seventh Angel chronology
The Torment
(1990) 		Lament for the Weary
(1992) 		Heed the Warning: Live & Demo Recordings
(2005)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Cross Rhythms[1]
Rock Hard[2]
Sea of Tranquility[3]
The Phantom Tollbooth[4]
The Whipping Post[5]

Lament for the Weary is Christian thrash metal band Seventh Angel's second studio 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. Lament for the Weary is a concept album about a man who suffered abuse during childhood and struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts in adulthood. On his deathbed, the man gets his childhood faith back and is not afraid to die anymore.

Recording history

The album was recorded during 4–16 July 1991 at ICC Studios with producer Roy Rowland. The album was mixed during 1–10 August 1991. John 10:10, from the New Testament, is written on the back cover of the album. The cover art for the album was done by British artist Rodney Matthews.

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 (1990). 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 has been reissued on various record labels. In 2008, a remaster was released by Polish label Metal Mind Productions, which was limited to 2,000 copies and included the demo song "The Turning Tide" as a bonus track. In 2005 and 2018, American label Retroactive Records released remasters of the album, the latter being part of the "Legends Remastered" series of reissues.

Reception

Lynn Williams of UK magazine Cross Rhythms wrote in an issue published on 1 July 1992 that Lament for the Weary is a clear improvement over The Torment and called Lament "superior thrash".[1] In a 2005 review of the album's reissue, 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".[6] In the 2005 reissue 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 the Netherlands.

In the 2018 reissue liner notes for Lament for the Weary, Ian Arkley writes: "The recordings we ended up with are something I am still very proud of."[7]

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Recollections of a Life Once Lived" (Instrumental) 
2:53
2."Life in All Its Emptiness[a]"ArkleyArkley5:12
3."No Longer a Child[a]"Arkley
  • Rawson
  • Arkley
  • Simon Bibby
5:55
4."Full of Blackness"Arkley
  • Arkley
  • Rawson
  • Bibby
6:02
5."Lament for the Weary" (Instrumental) Arkley2:18
6."Woken by Silence[a]"Arkley
  • Arkley
  • Bibby
6:19
7."Falling Away from Reality"Arkley
  • Arkley
  • Rawson
4:54
8."Dark Shadows[a]"Arkley
  • Tank
  • Bibby
  • Arkley
5:34
9."Passing of Years" (Instrumental) 
  • Arkley
  • Simon B. Jones
4:14
10."Secure in Eternity"Rawson
  • Arkley
  • Rawson
6:05
11."Farewell to Human Cries"
  • Arkley
  • Rawson
  • Tank
  • Arkley
  • Bibby
  • Rawson
6:19
Total length:55:45
a live version appears on Heed the Warning: Live & Demo Recordings (2005)
2008 reissue bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."The Turning Tide (2008 Demo)[b]"5:09
Total length:60:54
b appears on the Demo Collection (2017)

Personnel

References

  1. ^ a b Williams, Lynn (1 July 1992). "Seventh Angel – Lament for the Weary" (online). Cross Rhythms Magazine (11). Cross Rhythms. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Review Dynamit: Seventh Angel – Lament For The Weary". Rock Hard (in German). No. 61. 1992. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Review: "Seventh Angel: Lament for the Weary (remaster)"". Sea of Tranquility. 28 January 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  4. ^ MacMillan, Tom (2005). "A Review of The Phantom Tollbooth". The Phantom Tollbooth. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Seventh Angel – Lament for the Weary". Morrow, Matt. The Whipping Post. 2005.
  6. ^ "Seventh Angel – Lament for the Weary". Morrow, Matt. The Whipping Post. 2005.
  7. ^ Arkley, Ian. Lament for the Weary (booklet). 2018 reissue. Retroactive Records. Consulted 18 February 2023.
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