By Josh LaVoie
These are the laments of Jon Gauthier, lead singer of the Grimsby, Ontario born SECTORSEVEN. Plunking away on their six strings since 1992, the melodic hardcore/metal group exemplifies the punk ideology in their latest self-titled release.
The hard, fast, high-energy punk fest proves that the group has succeeded in reinventing themselves after the departure of guitarist Ryan Allan. In their relentless quest to adapt, the band has become more precise and tight, developing a sound that is definitively SECTORSEVEN.
“The more time you spend at doing something, whether you’re a carpenter or a figure skater or a punk-rocker, the better you’re gonna get,” says Gauthier.
Reaching back to some of the mid ’90s work from ageless punk-rock groups like SNFU and Bad Religion, the band’s new disc delivers a tried and true melodic formula in a new light. Tight and clean from start to finish with driving guitar riffs and brilliant vocals, it feels as though the group poured their heart and soul into this album.
“The best part of about everything is when you’re writing tunes or hangin’ out in the jam space,” says Gauthier. “You want people to see that stuff.”
As with all smaller Canadian punk artists, the band relies on touring to get the word out. The group is dedicated to providing an entertaining show, and with ten years of experience, they’ve developed an excellent formula: they want the audience to see the fun they have in creating and living the music.
“We just love this shit,” exclaims a very content Gauthier. “We love playing the tunes, we love writing ’em.”
All in all, SECTORSEVEN feel that in order to be successful, they need everyone at the venue to be having fun and getting into their music.
“We try to play our stuff the way it’s recorded,” says Gauthier. “We want to be as tight as possible–it’s something we’re working at all of the time.”
The band came through and conquered a major milestone with this disc. The product is innovative melodic hardcore from a dedicated group of guys and deserves a listen.
“Blink 182 and those types of bands, they’re huge bands and all,” says Gauthier. “But you gotta think they know where punk-rock began, where it all started.”