For many years Sevendust has been one of the hardest working bands in the hard rock community. Their energetic live shows, constant presence on the road, and solid songwriting have gone noticed but not by the masses as one would think. Formed in Atlanta in 1994 by Vince Hornsby (bass), Morgan Rose (drums), John Connelly (guitar), Clint Lowrey (guitar) and Lajon Witherspoon (vocals), Sevendust have released 10 albums in their career. Their self titled debut featuring songs, “Black,” “Bitch,” and “My Ruin” was a heavy forceful record, that would help to leave their mark on the scene. Their follow up Home featuring “Denial” “Waffle” and “Bender” (featuring Chino Moreno of Deftones) brought even more attention to what Sevendust was doing. On their next release Animosity, their ability as songwriters got even better and they created a gem of an album. Songs like “Praise,” “Trust,” “Live Again,” “Shine,” “Follow (Featuring Aaron Lewis of Staind),” and the ballad “Angel’s Son” which is dedicated to Lynn Strait of Snot. Their next album Seasons was a bit of a departure from their more raw sound and more so in to a produced cleaner sound. While the songs are strong the production of the album does tend to take away from what could’ve been a really great album. After the release of the album Clint Lowery left that band to focus on other musical endeavors. Over the next few years Sevendust kept at what they have done, and release albums and continue to rock stages with former Snot guitarist Sonny Mayo now in the band. Though the albums they wrote without Clint tended to fall flat, there were still some bright spots amongst it all. Then in 2008 Clint returned to the fold and brought a reinvigorated focus back to the band. The end result was a fantastic album entitled Cold Day Memory, which combined the intensity of Animosity and their first album, only sounding older (in a good way). Stand out tracks featuring “Unraveling,” “Forever Dead,” “Splinter,” and “The End Is Coming,” brought back the signature Sevendust sound the fans had been wanting. Their next album Black Out The Sun continued with their revitalized nature and delivered a more raw sounding album.
Sevendust has always been a heavy rock band, though they happen to come out at the height of “Nu Metal,” one can argue that they are not to be lumped in to that sub genre. Their is something to be said for a band to really put their all into everything they do. If you’ve seen them live you know what I mean. Vocally they are one of the strongest. Lajon has a very unique and soulful voice that reflects the lyrics beautifully,, and Clint when he chimes in has the ability to take the melody into a darker nature with more of a baritone feel, plus Morgan and his shouting and screaming really creates a trifecta of blistering vocals. Guitar wise Clint and John can shred but they seemed to restrain themselves on earlier releases, on their last two albums though their progress as players really show through. Vince has a very loose bass sound that fits right in the pocket of the rhythm of how Morgan swings and beats his drums.
Give them another listen and you might be surprised that you missed out on something. Sevendust are currently getting ready to release an acoustic album featuring old songs redone and new jams that are sure to be fan favorites.
Albums to check out: Animostiy, Cold Day Memory, Home, Black Out The Sun, Sevendust
http://www.sevendust.com/
By: Brian Lacy
audioeclectica 