Transposition by The Seventh Season

With smooth sounds that echo Pink Floyd and sharp solos that resonate Kirk Hammett, you are sure to find something you’re looking for. It is music you can listen to and one where you can appreciate the smart songwriting skills of the members as well as enjoy their addictive charisma. Their exquisite live performance is not to be missed, and their music not to be forgotten.

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Ron Fuchs, ProgNaut.com, 24 January 2007

http://www.geocities.com/prognaut/reviews/tss-dvd.html

In 2006, Bay Area prog rockers, The Seventh Season, follow up there debut album with a concert DVD called Transposition. It contains all of the songs on the debut album, Fall Within, plus a brand new tune from a upcoming release. Back in February, The Seventh Season played an energetic show at Ex’pression College for Digital Arts in Emeryville California. The Seventh Season brings back those days and in a way that can’t be categorized as retro or nostalgic. It is the real thing and deserves to be seen and heard by more people than were at the show recorded for this DVD. They prove themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the live environment. So much in fact that it makes their studio songs come alive with an intensity of late 70’s/ early 80’s art rock. With this DVD I have warmed up more to their sound that I would recommend it highly to those that loved the early 70’s glam rock and the DIY late 70’s/ early 80’s art rock scene. hear for yourself on their MySpace page!

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Anna Tergel, Metalian.com, January 2007

http://www.metallian.com/news0207.htm#demoreviews

THE SEVENTH SEASON – TRANSPOSITION (DVD)

Transposition is further proof that a DVD production and release is an affordable way to go these days. The Seventh Season surely prove that large crowds or big venues are not needed and one is left wondering that neither is a big following. An almost empty venue, which naturally doesn’t provide much impetus for stage antics and movement, is the setting for this 13-song performance by the now father and son team of TST. The band has been around in some form or another since 1972 and was originally based in Russia but has made it to the USA for the 21st century. Musically, this is simple and pure rock with the requisite sense of humour as heard on Commando, a song about not wearing underpants, and The Pirate Song, where the son and main vocalist Konstantin Batygin asks the few present to shout ‘arrrrgggg’ before getting into the song. Songs like So Insane, Liquid Water, My Only Honor and Ocean Of Time alternate between slightly higher tempos and more melodic and mostly laid back sounds

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Crazy John, HBGOnline.com, January 2007

http://hbgonline.com/music/cdreviews.htm

13 tracks of electrifying rock from The Seventh Season. Beginning in Russia in 1972, The Seventh Season has now been reborn in America as a captivating father and son run rock band. This album has explosive energy, with fresh guitar solos, pure drumbeats, and interesting bass lines. Their old hits are on this album such as “Pirate Song” and “Commando”, while also having their more modern new sounds like “Apart From Here” and “Ocean of Time”. This is music you can listen to and enjoy its addictive charisma.

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Erik Williams, Independent Clauses, December 2006

http://www.independentclauses.com/v2/issues/december06/seventh_season.htm

Band Name: The Seventh Season

Album Name: Transposition

Best Element: Melody, style

Genre: Alternative Rock/Rock/New Age

Website: www.theseventhseason.net

Label Name: Independent Records

Band E-mail: info@theseventhseason.net

In today’s field of music, most if not all rock bands are founded by groups of musicians who, despite different callings in the music field, are all drawn together by one indestructible factor: friendship. For some musicians, that bond is even more solidified by having brothers or sisters to play along with. The Seventh Season takes that foundation one step further. Not only has bass player and back-up vocalist Yuri Batygin been behind the wheel for Seventh Season since 1972 with drummer Sergey Smet, but he has finally found a voice for his outfit in his son Konstantin “Chad” Batygin.

The Seventh Season has been through ups and downs in its almost 35 year existence. Their latest offering is a live DVD entitled Transposition, which was filmed live at the Emeryville College for Digital Arts in February of 2006. In this set, Seventh Season presents itself as a band that has not only a unique sound, but also consistent songwriting ability.

Chad Batygin sets the mood for the album with his unique and trippy guitar tones with “Desire.” Smet starts tapping the beat on his throne while Yuri gets the listener in the groove with his bass. Chad’s vocals come in early on in the song, yet they almost appear too rough for the song; due to it being a live show, it could just be first-song-anxiety. Regardless, the vocalization is done very well between Chad and his dad throughout the tune.

The album zips over a song about not wearing underwear (“Commando”) to “Pirate Song,” a poppy song that will get fans of any genre bopping along. Chad’s vocals are more understandable in this song, and the lyrics turn out to be well written and thoughtful. If anyone has even wondered what Russian blues rock sounds like, look no further. Yuri lays it down in “New Day,” a toe-tapping blues-rock song sung completely in Russian. The trio shows off their English song-writing skills as well in “So Insane,” a new age rocker that leaves Chad pleading, “Please tell me there’s no need to be alone for God’s sake.” “Ocean of Time” is arguably the best tune on the DVD. Manifesting from the tender, fluid notes that drip off Chad’s guitar, the song immediately brings to mind images of the subconscious, of floating around in space, and an eternity of tripping. A brooding bass line carries the song beneath Chad’s dimmed vocals until the gentle dynamics soar into a hard hitting, powerful solo. The Batygins bellow out one last chorus before Smet kicks his kit into gear and the band races off at a new tempo with Chad’s fingers in the lead.

The DVD ends with several decent tunes, the most noticeable being “April,” which features political overtones and lyrics like “Why should we have to die…for someone else’s lie?” Chad also takes this time to show off his axe-man skills, rifling off several solos with his guitar over his head. Transposition offers a few good songs and is sure to draw in some fans for the Seventh Season. Unfortunately, the purpose of a live DVD is to capture the live energy of the band. With Transposition, though the tunes sound great, there was no feeling of urgency from the performers. The groove was there, the beat was there, but a lot of the stage presence felt robotic and/or forced in accordance with the music. Being that they advertise themselves as a rock band, if there is one thing the band could work on, it would be to move around a bit more, interact with each other more, and really go crazy.

Other than many of the tunes sounding semi-similar due to the same atmospheric guitar tones flowing over everything, The Seventh Season have done some great things on Transposition, and “Ocean of Time” is an extremely well-written song. If you’re looking for some trippy rock 'n' roll and have an hour to spare, pick up Transposition and let the groove take you away.

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MetalCore Fanzine, 15 October 2006

http://www.metalcorefanzine.com/reviews27.html

THE SEVENTH SEASON/Transposition (Self Released) DVD.

This is a straight ahead no bullshit rock n roll band that would not be out of place from the 80's. The band write simple, but big time catchy tunes with some melodic singing. The band remind me of a band from the 80's called The Shoes who had a few hits here and there. The camera and sound quality are more than good and this is for the fan who craves kick ass rock n roll. Info: www.theseventhseason.net

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Shapeless Zine - The Italian Metal Webzine, November 2006

http://www.shapeless.it/recealbum/theseventhseason-transposition.htm

THE SEVENTH SEASON

Transposition (DVD)

Etichetta: autoprodotto

Anno: 2006

Durata: 57 min

Genere: rock

Oh, bene! Bravi! Bis! In casa The Seventh Season sono passato quattro anni dalla pubblicazione del debut album "Fall Within" (che trovate recensito su queste pagine) e i miglioramenti si vedono eccome. Questa volta la band di origini russe, in attesa di pubblicare un secondo CD, attualmente in lavorazione, decide di produrre un DVD di un concerto registrato il 23 febbraio in California, presso l'Ex'pression College For Digital Arts. Il risultato, pur essendo realizzato in maniera quasi amatoriale, risulta assolutamente professionale e curato, mitigando tutti i difetti che avevo riscontrato nell'album "Fall Within". Innanzitutto bisogna dire che la band in questi quattro anni si è data da fare, prendendo tra le propria fila un vero batterista, Sergei Smet, al posto dell'odiosa drum machine del primo album. Questo già fa fare un passo enorme alla qualità delle canzoni, dato che il buon Sergei, un distinto signore dotato di un bel tocco leggero, è perfettamente funzionale al rock anni '60/'70 suonato dai "The Seventh Season". Un altro miglioramento, poi, si nota nella performance di Konstantin Batygin, giovanissimo chitarrista e cantante che, vi ricordo, non è altri che il figlio di Yuri Batygin, bassista e fondatore della band. Konstantin, infatti, è migliorato tantissimo dal punto di vista esecutivo negli ultimi quattro anni, mostrando davvero un impegno e una passione ammirevoli. D'altra parte c'era da aspettarselo: Konstantine all'epoca di "Fall Within" aveva solo sedici anni, quindi probabilmente era poco più che un principiante del proprio strumento. Infine, sempre parlando degli ottimi passi avanti compiuti dalla band, c'è la questione della produzione che, essendo assolutamente 'live' in questo DVD, spazza via tutto quel senso di artificiosità che appiattiva invece il debutto.

Passando quindi a presentarvi il contenuto di questo DVD, vi anticipo che la scaletta del concerto, di soli tredici brani, comprende sette brani tratti da "Fall Within", più cinque nuove composizioni che andranno a finire sul nuovo album. Per quanto riguarda i brani conosciuti, posso dire che la resa dal vivo aggiunge davvero non poco alle canzoni, che sembrano davvero rivivere grazie ai miglioramenti citati prima. Anche la voce di Konstantin, che non è poi così spettacolare, diciamocelo, risulta comunque più piacevole rispetto al passato. I brani mantengono una struttura semplice, ma si nota una certa evoluzione negli assoli, dato che il chitarrista, crescendo con il proprio strumento, ha assunto dei caratteri solisti tipicamente ottantiani. Non è raro quindi che le composizioni siano leggermente allungate, per lasciare spazio alle evoluzioni di Konstantin. I nuovi brani, allo stesso modo, continuano sulla falsa riga di quelli di "Fall Within", ma convincono ancora di più proprio grazie alla maturazione del gruppo. Tuttavia, prima di sbilanciarmi su un giudizio dettagliato, aspetto la pubblicazione definitiva del CD, in modo da sentire i brani in quella che sarà la loro veste ufficiale. Per ora, comunque, il giudizio è positivo, anche se resta un po' la questione già sollevata in "Fall Within": le canzoni sono davvero molto semplici e dirette, quindi c'è il rischio che dopo pochi ascolti l'interesse cali, lasciando il CD a prendere polvere.

Infine aggiungo qualche considerazione sulla qualità video: il DVD è stato realizzato in maniera quasi amatoriale, ma comunque il risultato è davvero buono. Vengono utilizzate tre diverse telecamere e le inquadrature sono semplici ma efficaci. L'immagine non è perfettamente nitida, ma è comunque più che buona e anche dal punto di vista dell'audio non c'è da lamentarsi (certo, non aspettatevi chissà quali performance in 5.1, ecco...). La performance della band è visivamente scarna e semplice: i tre musicisti restano fermi al loro posto e si limitano a suonare senza troppi fronzoli: niente scenografie, niente pose, soltanto del buon rock 'n' roll.

Per concludere, quindi, non mi resta che consigliarvi la visione di questo DVD, che mostra il buono stato di salute dei The Seventh Season: i brani nuovi sembrano promettenti e quelli vecchi sono decisamente migliorati rispetto alla versione sul disco. Se volete conoscere questa band, iniziate proprio da questo DVD, potrebbe essere un bel biglietto da visita.

Danny Boodman - Novembre 2006

Voto: 7.5

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Mundo Rock, November 2006

http://www.mundorock.org/Secciones/critica-dvdseventh.html

Metal Rebelde, November 2006

http://metalrebelde.metropoliglobal.com/web/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=168

The Seventh Season - Transposition (2006)

Cuantas bandas que nacieron en 1972 aun siguen vivitas y coleando?

Así comienza la gacetilla adjunta al dvd de The Seventh Season, trío que además esta compuesto por el bajista y guitarrista Yuri y Konstantin Batygin (padre e hijo respectivamente) y Sergey Smet en batería. Siendo evidente que la sangre nueva de Kontastin provoco que su padre y su compañero de ruta Sergey volvieran a reunirse después de casi 20 años, sacando el disco “Fall within” cuya tapa parece sacada de una de esas bandas de metal melódico de Europa.

El Dvd muestra un show en vivo grabado en febrero de este año en Emeryville, California, aunque el grupo es originario de Rusia.

Me capta la atención cuando escucho a Yuri, quien es segunda voz, tomar el liderazgo vocal en “New day” y empieza a cantar en ruso, ya que para quien comenta discos de rock en ingles y a veces en español, es necesario escuchar otros acentos e idiomas de vez en cuando. Como estilo abarcan un rock duro setentón, con tendencia alternativa y alguna pinceladas de metal como en “Ocean of time”, ya que dentro del estilo se identifican con los míticos Uriah Heep.

Para mas info: http://theseventhseason.net

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Keys and Chords, November 2006

http://www.keysandchords.com/page112/page115/page116/page117/page117.html

The Seventh Season - Transposition

Nadat deze groep subtiel opgestart werd als vader & zoon rockgroep in Moskou in 1972, en ontbonden werd in 1979, is deze in 2001 herboren in de USA. Met hun explosieve energie begonnen ze in 2002 het Amerikaanse publiek voor zich te winnen met hun debuutcd ‘Fall Within’. Sedertdien hebben ze constant aan nieuw materiaal gewerkt in de studio. Op deze registratie van hun live optreden op 23/2/2006 in het Ex’pression College for Digital Arts in Emeryville in Californië, voeren ze zowel oudere als nieuwe nummers uit. Het publiek gaat uit de bol voor deze rockmuziek van het trio, dat bestaat uit zoon Konstantin (Chad) Batygin op gitaar, vader Yuri Batygin op bas, en nieuwkomer Sergei Smet op drums. Oude hits zoals ‘Commando’ en ‘Pirate Song’ passeren de revue, terwijl de mensen met nieuwe sounds zoals ‘Ocean Of Time’ en ‘Apart From Here’ kunnen kennismaken. Vader en zoon schreven alle songs samen. Het is moeilijk om hun sound te beschrijven, want ze bezitten verscheidene muzikale invloeden. Je hoort er wat Pink Floyd in, wat Deep Purple, wat metal, wat elektronische new wave. De dvd duurt zevenenvijftig minuten. Voor liefhebbers die willen teruggrijpen naar vroeger werk. ♬♬

Meer info: www.theseventhseason.net

Patrick Van de Wiele

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La Factoria Del Ritmo, October 2006

http://www.lafactoriadelritmo.com/fact22/novedad/index.php?rango=5

THE SEVENTH SEASON. "Transposition". Independent Records. DVD. 2006. Rock.

Una banda que nació en el año 1972 y que sigue en activo, aunque con solo dos de los miembros originarios. Acaban de publicar un interesante DVD en el que muestran su elegante propuesta: rock, new age y hasta elementos para bailar. Un grupo que a estas alturas sigue reclamando a Vétales, Uriah Heep y Creedence Clearwater Revival como referencias.

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Michael Davis, Pittsburgh's Music Directory, 5 October 2006

http://www.pghlocalmusic.com/news/NewsDetail.cfm?NewsID=4

The Seventh Season has released a great LIVE DVD "Transposition" that really ROCKS! The sound quality is very professional and the Video quality is TOP NOTCH! The sound of Seventh Season is very progressive rock with a little metal. Their guitar sounds very clean and "drifting-soothing" like Uli Jon Roth or Hendrix. The opening track will hook you with their soothing tone and the rest will rock you! Be sure to watch the hidden track for a Great METAL ANTI-WAR song! Learn more and hear this great band here: The Seventh Season.

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