Subseven -

Hailing from southwest Oklahoma, subseven brings a combination of melodic rock and punk music to the scene. This five piece completed three U.S. tours in 2004, released an EP, and sent their first single "Emotion" to many top 10 indie lists. The video for "Emotion" can currently be seen across the U.S. and Canada on many indie video shows.

Subseven is: Wesley Fite: vocals, Jake Sullivan: guitar, Reed Corbin: bass, Caleb Wilkerson: guitar Clint McManaman: drums.

You can't just walk up to a stranger, say the word 'conquer' and not expect them to react somehow.

The word generates images of rampaging hordes intent on destruction or devious malcontents resolved to shape the world however they desire.

That's where the members of Flicker Records; newest hard rock band Subseven are ready to step in. They seek to help change the perception of that word. They want to show that conquering life's challenges begins with a voluntary turning over of self to something that's bigger than all of us.

Then, and only then, can one be Free To Conquer.

To kick off 2005, subseven is currently touring the West Coast in support of their upcoming full length, Free To Conquer, which will be available everywhere March 15th, 2005 on Flicker Records. The plains of western Oklahoma are not easily trifled with and neither are the people living on them. The no-nonsense, straightforward personality of this region spawned a unique creative path for subseven, bringing out a tough, muscular sound underscored with a hopeful message.

Originally formed in 1999 by vocalist Wesley Fite and drummer Clint McManaman, Subseven developed like countless other bands, germinating away from music business centers, gaining members (and momentum) from connections within the small community of Weatherford, Oklahoma.

"Wes and I went to high school together," McManaman says. "He was in a band, and I was trying to start my own band. I actually begged Wes to come play with me a couple times after school."

"Eventually, Wes quit his other band, and we started playing out. That's when we met Reed [Corbin], our current bass player,' McManaman remembers. "He and Wes met at a church revival, and he ended up practicing with us. Reed always said he was just our fill-in until we found someone else. But we never have, and he's never left."

Today, with the 2003 addition of guitarists Caleb Wilkerson and Jake Sullivan, Subseven counts itself among the exciting new crop of innovative hard bands. "The band's name, however, makes no bones about where its priorities lie. "Subseven" comes from two words put together. "sub" is short for submitted and "seven" for God's number, the number of perfection as stated in the Bible," McManaman says. "Our name means submitted to God, and that's the basis of what our band has done thus far. Everything we do, we hold it committed to God".

"It sounds kinda cheesy because everybody says that, but God has seen us through everything we've come across as a band and as individuals. That's what we want kids to know, that when you give things up to God, good things happen."

Free To Conquer, Subseven's full-length Flicker Records debut, comes on the heels of a well-received self-titled 2004 EP in addition to tours with headliners Pillar and Project 86. The dual nature of time spent in-studio and out on the road, interacting with both bandmates and fans, gives Free To Conquer a sense of perspective gained only through experience.

"We took time to acclimate our new guitar players. So it was good to have last year to get everybody into the swing of things," McManaman says. "We didn't tour very much, so it all worked out well."

One of Subseven's goals are to create a sound that's timeless and original. We listen to many types of music and try to keep our options open. What it comes down to for us is the lyrics. The message behind our music is always Christian.

"We wrote several songs in the studio" McManaman says of the sessions with producers Sam Shifley (Staple, Kids In The Way, Mortal Treason) and Nathan Dantzler (Tree63, Kids In The Way, Staple). "What resulted are 10 songs that we're really happy with and ready to get out to the public."

Be it the blistering opener "Up To You," percussive underpinnings of "Family Secrets," straight-up rock-n-roll on "Dirt Roads," or "Hold On," with its distortion-drenched exhortations, Free To Conquer percolated from a number of inspirational origins, both verbal and musical. "Sometimes you hear a lyric and know the music has to match a certain feel or mood," McManaman says. "A lot of bands we know go strictly off guitar riffs. That's cool, but many times for us, it's not. Sometimes it's too easy to do it that way, and you're not really paying attention to what the message is."

"The art is important, yes, but the lyrics are what's going to stay with people," he continues. "We always try to pay attention to all the elements, rather than just being a guitar band."

But it's the message of giving life's endeavors -- both triumphs and struggles -- over to God that subseven hopes will resonate loudest. You find that idea throughout Free To Conquer, from the propulsive title track to "Vampire," with its chorus of 'we will prosper' already making an impact on live audiences across the country.

"During our shows, we encourage people to give everything over to God. In their doing so, He will prosper them in all kinds of ways," McManaman says. "Most people think we're just talking financially, but it's really everything, every aspect of your life, emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually -- everything."

That idea of ultimate hope permeates the pounding attack of Wilkerson and Sullivan's guitar work, McManaman and Corbin's rhythmic structure and Fite's part-singing/part-screaming vocal punctuation. It's hard music with a heart, presented to a generation constantly looking for answers and avenues through which to find them.

We're not trying to do anything in our music other than present what we've learned and are still learning as believers. God is real; He's alive, and He's present in whatever we do," McManaman says. "We don't want to be the Christian version of Thursday, the Deftones, or anybody else that's out there. We just write what we feel is right."

Subseven has positioned their statement, and they're ready to deliver those words to a world in need of hearing them. And it's in the listening, accepting, and enacting where they hope you too will be Free To Conquer.