Sevendust
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TVT Records
Well the "old school" heavy metal may be gone for good. With a few of the old 80's bands still playing in small clubs and county fairs are just reminders of the good days. But with the throwing out of the old comes the new. The new generation of metal. Korn, Godsmack, Limp Bizkit, Tool, and P.O.D just to name a few. Sevendust however (in my opinion) rises above these new metal bands, and here's why.
Front man Lajon Witherspoon delivers a wide range of vocal talent. Yes he does scream, but he can also sing, in actuality he sings very well. The harmonies and melodies are perfect. This one feature of the band alone sets them apart from the others. Clint Lowery and John Connelly orchestrate technical rhythms on their guitars, bass player Vinnie Hornsby is in complete sync with Morgan Rose's syncopated drum patterns. Seeing
them in concert last year had me standing there in complete marvel. Morgan's combination of playing and screaming at the top of his lungs brought me to the realization of "Hey, this guy can play!" The album was produced by Toby Wright and Sevendust, great work guys!!!
The album starts out with "Home", a rhythmic rocker with a directional chant, "Denial" comes next. In essence it is a simple break up song, with a lot of anger. Unfortunately anger is a strong driving force for this style of music. Although Denial is a radio single it is not my favorite pick here. I really start listening to
the record when we get to track three, "Headtrip". The song deals with people hurting people, either mentally or physically. "Waffle" states how small we can feel sometimes, it can send us into despair and complete loss if we let it. "Where's the space I fill, where's the sympathy I killed, I need to find a meaning, I"m useless, trapped inside my own web." "Bring me a light, make my
life worth something more, show me a light, bring a light." Hum, what light could they be talking about" More importantly, what does this bit of lyric mean for you"
If you took good southern gospel and mixed it with rage filled hardcore you would probably get something like "Rumble Fish". "Again I try & change my ways, something for some reason takes me from you again." 'step down on the slivering snake, rescue yourself from the prick'" When I hear Lajon sing can I get a witness, it reminds me of a deep down south preacher firing up the congregation. But watch out, because the soulful
blessings soon end when a couple lines later you hear the mother F bomb dropped.
The album wraps up with the song "Bender". This one really shows off Lajon's vocal abilities. " Now that you found out something about me, I wonder how long it will be before you leave." This lyric seems to be the songs focal point. It's a sad point, but we can all relate somehow.
This recording is good, slightly better than their last album. Being well mixed and produced helped a lot too. That and seeing them in concert makes me give "home" a thumbs up.
