Seven Day Jesus

Item: The Hunger
Author: Evan Dickens

The Hunger

(1996)

Reviewed by Evan Dickens

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Label 5 Minute WalkThe LighthouseDecember 1996

alternative rock grunge post-grunge

He is with me Lift my voice to the sky Everyday, not just Sunday

What an obvious concept that we often take for granted-Jesus is there seven days a week. From that lyric (in the song "A Time To Heal") comes the name of 5 Minute Walk's newest band, Seven Day Jesus. If you're a fan of groups like Nirvana, PlankEye, and Bush, you might want to prepare yourself for something a bit different, as far as grunge goes. Lead singer/guitarist Brian McSweeney, instead of wailing about our lazy generation, sings with a voice that drips honey about mostly positive things. And his voice blends beautifully with bassist Wes Simpkins. That, plus the fact that fairly acoustic-type riffs have been added to the verses of all ten songs, might give you the impression that Seven Day Jesus is a bit...shall we say...wussy?

But on "Forgive You," perhaps the most ingenious grunge song ever done, Seven Day Jesus will blow that thought clear out of your head. My advice to you is to listen to this song first. The cut, formerly titled "Rape My Soul," is a brilliant chronicle of McSweeney's struggle to forgive the person who raped his best friend. During the chorus of the song, the guitars jump into full-mosh mode and McSweeney's voice begins to drip battery acid instead of honey as he wails, "You rape my soul!" into the mic. At first listen one might think, "That was pointless. Was that done for shock value?" But after listening to the chorus and reading the lyrics, the listener will probably think differently:

Sometimes I think about His mind And how His heart could love a man like me A man like you Could I even be so kind Forsaking everything I long to do

McSweeney obviously went through a lot of torment over this situation and the song shows his ability to be an amazingly honest and heart-wrenching songwriter. The honest admission of his human frailty is magnified even more in "The Hunger" and "Forgive Me." This album succeeds lyrically.

When all is said and done, however, Seven Day Jesus comes up a bit weak musically. Almost no song contains solid grunge riffs during the verse, but waits until the chorus to let go. And there aren't more than two or three creative guitar solos on the whole album. Almost all the songs begin to sound the same after a while (specifically "Strength," "Flybye," "Pavement," and "Restrained").

But Seven Day Jesus obviously has talent, which shines through on "Forgive You" and "A Time to Heal," and their commitment to the Lord is shown very well on "The Hunger." The production stamp of Luis Garcia, bassist and producer for PlankEye, is evident, and his talent with grunge is never denied. However, the band members haven't quite reached the point where they can call themselves a bona fide grunge group. They are going to have to lose a bit of the prettiness (especially some of those acoustic-type riffs) and replace them with some of the stuff found on "Forgive You." Keep an eye on Seven Day Jesus. With a little help musically, they will be up there with PlankEye someday. Guaranteed.