In no particular order (wait till the end of the year for that). These are the best albums I’ve heard all year!
1. Mastodon- Once More Round The Sun
2. Every Time I Die- From Parts Unknown
3. Chevelle- La Gargola
4. Seether- Isolate and Medicate
5. Sevendust- Time Travelers and Bonfires
6. Crosses- Crosses
7. Royal Blood- Out Of The Black EP
8. Against Me- Transgender Dysphoria Blues
9. And We Are Them- Align
10. Wild Throne- Blood Maker
11. New Cathedral- Ghost
12. Machines Learning- Machines Learning
13. He Whose Ox Is Gored- Nightshade EP
14. With Our Arms To The Sun- A Far Away Wonder
15. Black Map- Driver EP
16. Royal Blood- Royal Blood
17. The Last Internationale- We Will Reign
18. Wovenwar- Wovenwar
19. And We Are Them- City Of Ghosts
20. Obliterations- Poison Everything
21. Black Map- And We Explode
22. Bush- Man On The Run
23. Slipknot- .5 The Gray Chapter
24. Aeges- Above and Down Below
Now 5 albums into their career, Seether has returned with their newest album Isolate and Medicate. This album due to legendary producer Brendan O’Brian (Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Mastodon, etc), comes across as tight and focused, with every layer of instrumentation serving a purpose. Frontman Shaun Morgan says “The whole record is a collection of diary entries. It’s just where I’m at and what I’m going through. I’m writing songs about getting through whatever situations I’m in at the time. These songs deal with relationships and life situations.”
With that being said, this album is full of Seether’s signature tales of woe and despair mixed with “grungy” riffs. Opener “See You At The Bottom” begins with tuned down bass and guitar lines before exploding with Morgan’s trademark soulful growl. “Same Damn Life,” is one of the most accessible and catchy songs of Seether’s career. The high pitch vocals are a very weak point of the song. First single “Words as Weapons” is a fairly standard Seether song, a distortion driven chorus with some added spine tingling vocal harmonies. There are a couple songs that have a bluesier side to them “My Disaster” and the stellar “Nobody Praying for Me.” “Suffer It All” is heavy,and full of chunky riffs. “Keep the Dogs at Bay” is a driving heavy melodic track. And “Watch Me Drown” is a solidly written song, but nothing special. “Crash” is a solemn ballad, with purposely layered guitar lines and some more great vocal takes. This song is one of the most powerful songs the band has written in years.
Isolate and Medicate is a strong release from one of the most consistent rock bands. This album is also indicative of Shaun Morgan being a really good songwriter. Seether has never been a band to reinvent the wheel when it comes to this style of music. There are a lot of people that have written this band off as a radio rock band and just nothing, but there is really something more to this band than any others in their realm. This album isn’t as good as their first 2 albums, but it does have a way to really connect. On the scale of 1-10, I’d give this a solid 7.
audioeclectica 