Mixed by Pete Newdeck | Mastered by Harry Hess
Seven Ravens is a metal music project, based on the songs of James LePak and Scott Bazzett, and executed by an impressive all-star cast...
I have always been hyper focused on the singing in any band I listen to - if the singer isn't good, I'm out, no matter how good the music is. When I thought about who would be right for our songs, I kept coming back to Bormann. He has a distinctive voice with a rare combination of power, passion, range, and control. Even though I hadn't heard him sing anything QUITE like this, it was his voice I was hearing when I wrote these words and these melodies. I had no doubts about his talent, but you never know how that translates into the song until you hear it. I am happy to announce, that I was right. He was absolutely perfect. Bormann brought a powerhouse performance that pushed these songs over the top, and may well be the best of his career.
#michaelbormann #jadedheart #jadedhard #redrum
Blue Murder exploded onto the scene, on the heels of the smash, self-titled Whitesnake album. I had never heard a fretless bass before that, and there have only been a few others to try it since then. When James and I decided to go ahead with this project and finally get these songs recorded properly, we knew we needed to replace the bass tracks he had originally recorded, by a REAL bassist, and when I started thinking about who we should get to do that, Tony's name came immediately to the top of the list. There are few bassists that have such an immediately recognizable sound, and as I expected, his input brought an immediate impact to each song he played on.
#fretlessmonster #bluemurder #tonyfranklin
Once James and I realized we were going to be able to get people we respected to play on these songs, we asked ourselves who we would have asked, back when we began. DVS was Riot's bassist, songwriter, and one of the keys to their new sound in 1988. Thundersteel marked a change in Riot's musical direction, and even though it only lasted for two albums (Thundersteel and Privilege of Power), their unique blend of power and melody had a big influence on James and I for years to come. DVS is still playing and recently rekindled that era with Riot again in 2011 and continues to keep that fire burning in Riot V, so we were thrilled when Donnie agreed to add his aggressive, precision bass-playing to a few of our songs, and even more excited when he convinced the other half of that classic Riot rhythm section to join in too.
#riot #donnievanstavern #theprivilegeofpower #thundersteel
I first heard Bobby play on Riot's Thundersteel album where he immediately became one of my favorite drummers - a title he has retained for over 30 years. I was clearly not alone. His reputation grew quickly, earning him a spot in Rob Halford's solo band, for four albums, and then getting the job in Sebastian Bach's solo band, before eventually replacing the legendary Mark Zonder in Fate's Warning. In short, Bobby is a monster drummer and we are extremely honored to have him playing a few of our songs (and our 18-year-old selves are still giggling). Can't thank Donnie enough for making the introduction for us.
#bobbyjarzombek #halford #sebastianbach #fateswarning
Once we had Tony Franklin on board, we realized we had a rare opportunity to reach out to work with even more professionals. Best known for his work with Ace Frehley, or maybe stepping in as the drummer for Mr. Big, or maybe most recently for playing with Robin McAuley, Reb Beach and Jeff Pilson in Black Swan; Matt has played with EVERYbody. It's no wonder why he is in such demand. Matt can do it all. Classic rock, hard rock and so I contacted him and got him to play some straight up metal for us.
#mattstarr #blackswan #mrbig #acefrehley
When we first started this project, we stumbled across this hidden talent practically in my back yard! A veteran drummer who has toured and recorded with the likes of Seether, Breaking Benjamin, and others – Soffera now runs Hybrid Studio in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Kevin's groove and power brought a unique energy to the four songs he tracked for us.
#kevinsoffera #hybridstudiospa
James started playing guitar in the mid 80s. By the late 80s he had already become an amazing talent, and by the early 90s he was playing in local bands in the Seattle bar scene (Most notably with a group called Reignstorm). He should have made it then. Unfortunately, he was a few years too late and his Dokken/Priest style was fast falling out of favor in the wake of grunge. Twenty-five years later, an unlikely second chance has presented itself. This time, we did it on our terms. We wrote the songs, we picked who we wanted to play on them, and we were lucky enough to record with some of the very same musicians who's songs he used to play along with as a kid. But this time they are playing along to HIS songs.
#jameslepak #7R #SevenRavens
