John Bush - Category 7 'The Thrashy Supergroup Storm Is Closing In'
There’s few names in thrash metal that are revered as vocalist John Bush. Whether it is his ongoing commitment to legendary New York thrashers Armored Saint, his 90s output with Anthrax, or his guest appearances, the John Bush name has stood for great singing and thoughtful lyrics. He’s now lent those epic pipes to new band Category 7, which features enough big names to be qualified as a supergroup. The outfit is led by guitarist and songwriter, Mike Orlando (Adrenaline Mob), with Phil Demmel (Kerry King, ex-Machine Head), drummer Jason Bittner (Shadows Fall, Overkill) and bassist Jack Gibson (Exodus). That’s a mighty pedigree for a new band!Category 7's sound has elements of thrash but a strong sense of melody thanks to the dueling guitars of Demmel and Orlando, plus Mr Bush’s clean but aggressive singing style. The name itself is a reference to the designation for the most powerful windstorms, which is pretty spot on for the coming together of great individual musicians. Bush has already revealed his intentions when joining the new collective:
“Working on these songs opened up a big part of my brain to just be real creative... It all came out sounding very fresh and new. And it was really liberating for me because I was able to open up a whole new door for myself. Because working with these guys was just different than what I’ve done before because they're different people and the way they write, the way they create, and the way they play is new for me. And that compelled me to gravitate to what they were doing, which created this fresh sound that’s unlike anything I’ve done or heard.”
We sat down with John Bush to find out his thoughts on his new band and his plans for 2024. You’ve led your Armoured Saint for decades, fronted Anthrax, guested with others in the studio and on stage and no doubt been asked to sing for lots of bands over your career. What was it about Category 7 that made you want to commit to them?The tunes and the timing. As someone who suffers from anxiety, the lyrics to ‘Exhausted’ really struck a nerve with me. I imagine it will be a powerful song live. What do you tap into when you perform a song like that? Well we haven’t performed it live yet. As a matter of fact, we haven't played live at all yet. Not even a rehearsal. That being said I do believe it’s very powerful and I feel exhausted after listening to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc4X2_jaSioWhich songs do you think fans will give the biggest reaction if you get to play them live? Hopefully all of ‘em. You certainly don’t want any to be beer or bathroom breaks. Unless you REALLY got to go.You might have heard that James Hetfield (on the Metallica podcast) recently nominated Category 7 as his favourite new band. Can you pay that forward - What is your favourite new band?Rivers of Nihil is really cool. Come on sax in a death metal band??? That’s quite adventurous. With this album out in July, what does the rest of the year look like for you?Touring Europe from late July to mid-August with the mighty [Armored] Saint. Haven’t been since pre-covid 2019 when we toured with Metal Church and the late, very much missed Mike Howe.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLgiPnO9plc&feature=youtu.beIn the spirit of your new band name, what 7 albums would you put in the category of ‘essential pre-Category 7 albums’ from your new bandmates? Machine Head - The BlackeningExodus - Persona Non GrataOverkill - The Wings of WarAdrenaline Mob - OmertaArmored Saint - Symbol of SalvationYou can choose the other two!If you’re asking me, I’m adding Anthrax’s Sound of White Noise and Demmel’s contributions to the new Kerry King album From Hell l Rise.Interview by KJ Draven
Category 7’s debut self-titled album is out July 26th on Metal Blade Records.Get it here.
Category 7 - Category 7 tracklisting
1. In Stitches2. Land I Used To Love3. Apple of Discord4. Exhausted5. Runaway Truck6. White Flags and Bayonets7. Mousetrap8. Waver at the Breaking Point9. Through Pink Eyes10. Etter Storman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTz_QK3Dc1U
