As I have received many inquiries related to screaming, I figured it would be appropriate to post a blog about it so that anyone can read for themselves how I go about attempting to make the most creative and distinct vocal noises for your hearing pleasure. Although I am not nearly as talented at this or as masterful of this strange art as I hope to be someday, I will do my best to describe to you how I go about making the odd noises that I spend hours and hours making.

First off, a very common mistake made by aspiring yellers, screamers, or anything of that sort is simply trying too hard. Taking huge gulps of air, straining your vocal cords and using your throat to change the sound of your voice are all things I have done in the past, and mistakes I see being made by many others as well. As strange as it may sound (get it?), screaming is very similar to singing. The way you use your diaphram to breath, along with many other things are in essence the exact same as singing...but with an obviously different result.

Before I get into specifics, allow me to say again that I am by no means your best resource for this and I have found Melissa Cross, who has made the Zen of Screaming 1 and 2 DVDs, to be a much greater help than anyone else I have come across. If what I try to explain through this blog doesn't make sense, or even if it does, go pick up those DVDs and regularly practice the exercises in them...believe me it makes a world of a difference!

The first thing you must understand is the correct way to breath. As I stated earlier, do not take huge gulps of air in an attempt to belt out as ballsy (is that a word?) of a scream as possible. Whenever you take a breath, do not fill your chest up with tons of air. In fact, your chest should not even move, no matter how much air you take in. Concentrate on filling your diaphram, and after that feels full then put your "reserve air" (as Melissa Cross says) kind of behind your ribcage. When you are preparing to belt out a scream, do not take a huge breath and push as hard as you can. Rather, take a quick sip of air and calmly let your diaphram do the work. As far as the difference of high, mid, low and everything in between, those various sounds should not be determined by your throat. Rather, it is the shape of your mouth that creates different sounds. In essence, every scream should be the same as far as how you breath, how much you push, all that. Shaping your mouth very small and almost closed will create a lower sound...as opening it up wide can create a much higher pitched scream. Also focus on not straining your vocal cords. Imagine the sound coming from your diaphram, passing right by your throat, bouncing off the roof of your mouth and then being released.
Although this is difficult to explain without being there to personally show you, I hope this helps! And don't ever be satisfied with your voice, keep experimenting, while keeping your technique correct, and see what crazy noises your body can make. Good luck!

No, we are not talking about politics or Barack Obama's campaign- we are referring to the future of 7 Horns 7 Eyes.  For those interested, continue reading:

As some of you may know, our guitarist Chris Weiford is a graphic design student at Seattle Pacific University.  Over the course of the last few years, his college pursuits have been extremely accommodative of 7 Horns 7 Eyes- however, 2008 means that he has entered his final year of classes, and is aiming to graduate on time this spring.  In order to accomplish this, he is going to have to spend a significant amount of time working and focusing on his classes.  He is also recently engaged, and will need to spend this coming summer actively pursuing career opportunities.

As for the rest of the band, if we were content to keep sitting on our EP and to carry on playing it to death for an unknown amount of months, then it would likely work out for Chris to continue playing with us...but of course, that isn't our goal.  As we progress as musicians and songwriters, we have continued challenging ourselves in our playing and pushing into new musical territory in our writing.  We also aim to begin touring when the time is right and to do whatever is necessary to take the band to full fruition.  This requires a level of commitment that Chris is unable to meet, so it is with sadness that we announce Chris' departure from the band, following our show at El Corazon on January 16^th, 2008.

Do not mistake this as the end of the band, or as a sign of some kind of impending further downfall- 7 Horns 7 Eyes is alive and well.  We are proud of the songs we established ourselves with on the EP, but our new material is, without question, a mature step forward.  We recognize that metal is a very demanding genre, filled with an abundance of spectacular musicians, which makes it difficult to stand out.  It is our goal to avoid getting too comfortable writing a certain way, so as to quickly fade from relevance.

Chris' departure from the band also signals the need for a second guitarist.  Although the need is not tremendously urgent, we will continue writing songs that call for two guitar parts, so we will be unable to play live until his role has been filled.  If you think that you are the right person for the job, then let us know.  You must:

-Share our commitment to Christ
-Be at least 18 years old
-Be proficient on the guitar
-Have a source of income
-Have professional gear

Thank you for your support!

I Chris of 7h7e am shamelessly promoting myself.  I do illustration, design, and most art projects you may need as a musician or bussiness.  I will accept most jobs for cheap.  preview the goods at  www.flickr.com/photos/weiford

That is all.

The most common question i recieve regarding the band these days has to do with our name choice, and this is one question i am very excited to answer. However, I feel a more indepth answer should be provided here for anyone interested.  I will explain more than the orgins of the lamb with seven horns and seven eyes, but also the motivations and goals of this band.

Let me start out with a caution: do not worship this band.  Our purpose as a band is worship and glorification of Jesus Christ, to offer our musical talents, time, money, and hard work for his glory alone.  The music industry is a place of false idols and we do not want to become another band interested in how popular and loved we can become.  This is a difficult thing to attempt for all of us, so feel free to remind us if we become arrogant or lose our focus. 

Next off, let's examine the name 7 horns 7 eyes.  So basicly, we are into Jesus, and simply put: In the last book of the Bible Jesus is symbolicly pictured as a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes. There are many depictions of Jesus in the Bible, but this particular one in Revalation 5:6 fills me with fear and awe.  In the Bible the number 7 is used to describe completness.  The 7 horns symbolise complete power, and the 7 eyes describe that Christ's is all knowing.  Once again, we need to be careful in the name's meaning for our band:  We ourselves are not to be worshiped as all powerful and all knowing, nor is the band or its music.  We want to make as many people aware of Jesus Christ's glory as possible.

Why does this make sense to me as a metal muscian?  For me, the intensity and gut-churning feelings brought from heavy music make me think of how i will feel when I witness Christ's return.  If a movie could ever be made of Judgment day, i feel that the soundtrack would not be soft acoustic praise music.  The songs we create in this band should not make you comfortable, but remind you of what is to come:  seeing the God of the universe, in infinite power and glory, with your own eyes.

-Chris Weiford-