(RockAndMetal.com) (04/06/04)

By Michael Bennett

PITTSBURGH, PA, USA - SEVENTH KEY, the solo project from Kansas bass guitarist/vocalist Billy Greer, will release their new album "The Raging Fire" on InsideOut Music America tomorrow.

"The Raging Fire" is the second Seventh Key album, but it's the first on IOMA and the first to receive North American distribution.

Greer's main partner for the Seventh Key projects is guitarist/keyboardist Mike Slamer, his former Streets bandmate.

"The Raging Fire" is the follow-up to 2001's "Seventh Key." Streets was formed in the early 1980s by vocalist/keyboardist Steve Walsh after he left Kansas.

The band released two high-quality rock albums before dissolving.

When Kansas re-formed in the mid-1980s after a three-year layoff, Walsh returned and brought Greer with him.

Greer and acclaimed guitarist Steve Morse were the newcomers to the band, and 1986's "Power" was the result.

"The Raging Fire" is an extraordinarily melodic album with first-rate songs and performances.

The songs include: 'Always From The Heart,' 'An Ocean Away,' 'It Should Have Been You,' 'Pyramid Princess,' 'Run,' 'Sin City,' 'The Raging Fire,' 'The Sun Will Rise,' 'Across The Line' and 'Winds Of War.'

Special-edition extras include the bonus track 'Remember You Well,' written by Kansas alumnus Kerry Livgren, as well as multimedia video footage.

"The Seventh Key albums have allowed me to show my talents as a lead vocalist."

"In recent years I've felt a real need to express myself as a singer, and these albums have provided another outlet for my creativity."

"There wasn't even a record deal in place at the beginning when we started, but I just went ahead anyway because I wanted a project to sing on," Greer says.

"I've always thought of myself as a singer who just happens to play bass rather than a bassist who also sings."

"In fact, early in my career I got a lot of work with bands over bassists who were better players but couldn't sing. I look at my bass playing as a functional role."

Greer has endless praise for Slamer, who also produced and engineered 'The Raging Fire.'

Greer views the album as being largely written and performed by "a duo with special guests."

Those guests include drummer Jamie Thompson and background vocalist Terry Brock.

The songwriting was a true collaboration between Greer and Slamer.

According to Greer, the songs he writes don't fit the general style of Kansas, and working with Slamer is the perfect outlet.

Greer feels he needs a collaborator and does not write nearly as well on his own.

He tends to write most of the lyrics, but it's not an easy process for him and it takes a great deal of work until he's satisfied.

Generally speaking, in the Greer/Slamer songwriting partnership, the musical outline comes first, a precise melody follows and the lyrics become the final touch.

"I'm really excited about 'The Raging Fire' because these are fresh new songs that I wrote with Mike," says Greer.

"On the first record, we used a lot of old songs, including ones from outside writers and ones I'd written with Steve Walsh and Steve Morse that didn't make it on to "Power."

They play on a couple of those songs as did Richard Williams and Phil Ehart from Kansas too.

"This kind of melodic, '80s-styled rock is something that comes very natural to me. I really love it, and lots of other people around the world do too."

"It can be equated to the Streets sound and, in fact, 'Seventh Key' was sometimes referred to as a third Streets album."

"Making a record like this is both a natural decision and a conscious decision."

"The Raging Fire" was written and recorded at Slamer's studio.

During breaks between Kansas commitments, Greer would fly to Los Angeles to work with Slamer, although he did work on vocal tracks and other things at his own studio too.

"Mike is terrific. He is a full-time composer, and he has very high standards."

"In particular, he has a great sense of melody," Greer says.

"It was a lot of fun making this record. If 'The Raging Fire' does well, I'd love to make another Seventh Key album."

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