Texas rockers keep it short, but new album is still sweet

But over the past year, rock music has slowly climbed back to the top of the charts, with bands such as Creed, Linkin Park and Nickleback overtaking the once pop-dominated charts.

For the Dallas-based quartet Seven Channels, the current resurgence of rock music has been the force to help propel them to musical stardom.

In 1999, VH1’s Rock Across America Tour listed Seven Channels as one of the “Top Five Unsigned Bands in America.” Also in 1999, the band competed in the Mars Music showcase and placed first out of 3,000 participants. Soon after, Seven Channels signed with Palm/Mars record label.

Seven Channels has scored a hit with their self-titled debut album, combining melodramatic lyrics and catchy guitar riffs while still maintaining their hard rock sound.

Stylistically, the album is a mixed bag. Songs such as the album’s lead single, “Breath,” “Circle” or “Helium” stay true to their hard-rock roots while other songs such as “Velcro Parade,” “Electric Voices” and “Submarine Dream” reveal a softer side of the band, something that could be even called an almost pop-like sound.

Other notable songs on the album include the mellow and soothing “Superconnected” or the closing track, titled “Fluid.”

Although there are many positive aspect to Seven Channels’ debut album, a glaring problem many listeners may notice is the meager number of songs on the album. With only ten songs and a total running time of only 37 minutes, some may feel that they are not getting their money’s worth from the CD.

Another problem listeners may note is that midway throughout the album, all the songs begin to sound alike. Songs such as “Velcro Parade” and “Rooftop” have a familiar sound to them, and little difference between the songs.

Despite only having 10 songs on the album and similar melodies between a majority of the songs, hard rock fans can still enjoy Seven Channels’ debut album, even if it is only for a short time.

Grade: B-