Kenny Hickey and Johnny Kelly have two fairly high-profile gigs: they are half of the Goth Metal band Type O Negative and the touring guitarist and drummer for Danzig. Hickey not only plays guitar in Seventh Void but also provides lead vocals on the record. Those expecting a Type O Negative record, go look somewhere else, this is a doom metal record which has much more in common with Down and Black Sabbath than the bizarrely delightful and original sound of Type O’s progressive goth spliced with bits of the Beatles under the influence of Satan. Seventh Void does a very good job of creating a great vibe; they nail the musical soundscape for the genre, but the vocals and the songwriting are sub par. “The End of All Time” stands out with its Sabbath riffing and a bit of a tone change in Kelly’s vocals. Far too often he sounds the same verse after verse, with a higher but raspy vocal delivery that lacks the character and richness that would have improved the material. After the album is over, you may think that the guitar playing was good and the overall sound of the record captured the genre, but you can’t really remember any one particular track. Pantera’s Vinnie Paul (who also owns the record company) and Sterling Winfield do a decent job producing and mixing the record; they just needed better material. It’s not fair to ask, but I wonder if this would have sounded better and more interesting if Peter Steele was singing? (Big Vin Records 2009)
