The Guitar Player's Resource
From Germany comes the progressive metal group Complex 7 with their recently released CD Process. Following hot on the heels of their debut CD "Water" (released back in 2001), guitarist Arne Schuppner works highly technical phrasing into the heavy mix, which is supported rhythmically by drummer Guido Schneider and bassist Bjorn Muller. The vocals are somewhat ordinary, especially in comparison with the instrumental skill of the various musicians in the band, which is common in a lot of progressive metal bands today. Vocalist Norbert Vornam writes lyrics using personal experiences, while bassist Muller concentrates his lyrics on social commentary. If you can get behind the vocal style on the CD, you might want to check out Complex 7 to hear Schuppner's guitar work - he can rip out single-line solos at the drop of a hat, and his arrangements are a cut above the norm.
The lineup of Complex 7 has been the same since 1990, except for the addition of vocalist Vornam. The three instrumentalists began playing together in a band called Demimonde, and in 1999 Norbert joined in after spending several years in different thrash metal bands. In July of 2001, Complex 7 released "Water", documenting the band's musical progress over the previous ten-year period. With Process the group is aiming for greater audience access without being mainstream or easy listening. They want to introduce (to as many new fans as possible) their vision of what interesting and contemporary metal is all about.
Complex 7 continues to work on new ideas as well as play live whenever possible, while making their two CDs available to fans worldwide over the Internet.
Arne Schuppner
Germany
Web site: www.complex7.de