Category 7, the new heavy metal outfit boasting the all-star lineup of John Bush (Armored Saint, Anthrax), Mike Orlando (Adrenaline Mob, Sonic Universe, Noturnall), Phil Demmel (Machine Head, Kerry King, Vio-Lence), Jack Gibson (Exodus), and Jason Bittner (Shadows Fall, Overkill) released their self-titled debut full-length album in July 2024 via Metal Blade Records.

Earlier today, the band took to social media with the following message:

"Sadly one of our Category 7's family members Mike Orlando has suffered one of the hardest things to go through in life, losing a parent. His beloved father & guiding light/force through his life George Orlando has passed away. We mourn his loss & send prayers & strength to Mike & his family. [🙏] [❤️]

From Mike's page today:

1 week out now this exact time, sitting in the same spot wondering what the f*ck just happened & waiting to wake up from the nightmare of losing my father that morning. I still can't put a thought together other then the last 15 minutes I spent w/him... which no person should ever go through.

I cannot thank you all enough for all the kind & caring messages, comments & texts. I'm very sorry I haven't replied, it's just that hard to see them.

I'm completely lost without you Dad... broken beyond repair. [💔]"

Mike Orlando's original post announcing the death of his father, dated December 3rd, reads as follows:

"I'm writing this post through an ocean of tears that have not stopped & will not seem to ever stop at this point. I can not fathom nor believe I'm writing this but here it goes...

My lifelong hero, my best friend in the world & my idol on which I based & learned everything from in my entire life is gone. My dear father who I love more than anyone & anything on this earth has passed away yesterday morning. Anyone who knows him knew he was an absolute angel on earth & the most giving soul to a fault I've ever known.

Anything & everything I did & achieved in life musically & further was to hopefully make him proud of his son. I play guitar because of him as he taught me my 1st chords & songs when I was 8. I pushed myself to play the best I possibly could simply to make him proud of me & what I could do. That was my goal til this day. Now I have not a clue what to do or how to do it anymore at this point.

Dad, I will miss you every second of every day & I honestly have no clue if I can survive this. Thank you for being the greatest father & best friend I could ever ask for. I am completely shattered in a million pieces by this...

I love you so much Dad & I you will ALWAYS be my hero, my idol & my best friend never to be replaced!!!!!! [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔] [💔]"

All of us at BraveWords send our sincerest condolences to Mike Orlando and his family at this difficult time.

Named after the numerical designation for the most powerful windstorms, Category 7 came together from a batch of musicians who strived to play music they loved and weren't hearing elsewhere and wanted to do so with bandmates they enjoyed being with. Together, the band has created an album that is fresh and familiar; a new breed of metal that lives up to the storied histories of its members. The mixture of NWOBHM, thrash, punk-metal, and traditional metal is cohesive and sonically rewarding, establishing an eclectic musical backdrop for vocalist John Bush's instantly identifiable vocals. At the same time, the diversity of styles creates its own template that's ideal for headbanging, moshing, and voluble sing-alongs.

"It's all about big verses and big songs, and it has a lot of the elements we've explored in our other bands," notes guitarist and main songwriter Mike Orlando.

Category 7 was produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by Orlando at Sonic Stomp Studios with art and layout by Carlos Fides at Artside Studio (Angra, Evergrey, Kamelot).

The record is available on CD and digital formats as well as vinyl in the following color variants:

- Storm Surge (US + EU)
- Sable Smoke (EU - Ltd. 300)

Order yours here.

Category 7 tracklisting:

"In Stitches"
"Land I Used To Love"
"Apple Of Discord"
"Exhausted"
"Runaway Truck"
"White Flags And Bayonets"
"Mousetrap"
"Waver At The Breaking Point"
"Through Pink Eyes"
"Etter Stormen"

"Exhausted" video:

"In Stitches" video: