steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

The Seventh Season

"Liquid Water" CD

Independent Records

Genre: rock, hard rock, prog rock

June 2008

The Seventh Season is your average proggy hard rock band, with a catch: it's been around since 1972. Well, sort of. They were around from 1972 to 1979, playing live and recording in their own home studio. Then, after an extended hiatus, they reappeared in 1998. But this time around, they're fronted by the bassist's son, Konstantin Batygin, a long-haired, rosy-cheeked fellow who is fortunate enough to be heading off the most vaguely pedophilic rock band around today.

But it's the music that's important after all, isn't it?

As for Liquid Water, which is about as not-incredibly-creepy as it is cleverly-titled, we get melodic though unspectacular rock music, characterized by energetic hard rock and slow ballads. It's not very interesting or original, though a few songs stick out from the herd in terms of catchiness (prog-heavy "Ocean of Time," bizarrely playful "Nine To Five," "Freeway"). The vocals are kind of interesting because of their dramatic energy ("Damaged" is like a serious version of Ween), as well as a distinctly Russian flare (particularly in the elder singer's vocals). But aside from that, well, this just isn't all that.

Oh yes, and before I forget, the cover art and liners are pretty funny. Not intentionally, of course. But still.

the seventh season's myspace

65%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 12 tracks, distributed by the band, released 2007]