Sevendust Album: “Seasons [PA]”

There is one thing that I can say about Sevendust which I have rarely ever been able to say for a musical group: they have NEVER let me down. (Save for a cancelled show in my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio to play "Angel's Son" on The Tonight Show where another of my favorite bands was scheduled to open, Finger Eleven. The re-scheduled show had no opening acts save for a terrible local metal ban. I STILL have yet to see Finger Eleven live, but I'm not bitter...) Every album I've ever purchased by them has been a steady improvement over the last, and this album is no exception.

I remember listening to their Self-Titled album and thinking to myself, "man, I love these riffs I just wish Lajon would SING more."

Then "Home" came out. Wow, I got EXACTLY what I wanted. This time around the riffs were even better. Days after this album's release I had the opportunity of seeing Sevendust live for the first time. This goes down in history as one of the best live shows I have EVER been to. Check out the opening line-up, which had Sevendust headlining circa 1999: Skunk Anansie, followed by Staind (yes, Staind), and Powerman 5000. The only shows I've been to on par with this were "The Roots" and "Heavy D, Digital Underground, and Public Enemy" a LONG time ago. So, what did I say next..."Man, I love this album, but the syncopated riffing just gets a bit monotonous at times."

Then "Animosity" came out. Soaring vocals, the use of more open sounding, suspended chords and further musical development from the band. Up until the day "Seasons" came out "Animosity" was still getting heavy rotation in my CD player. So, what did I say next? "Animosity, is one of my new favorite albums. The only thing I would change would be to improve songs like "X-Mas Day" and cut to the chase on a lot of the songs."

And now we have "Seasons." While I'm tempted to dissect this album song by song, I'll do my best not to do that. This album is FANTASTIC. No other way to put it. The songs get right to the point, still with Sevendust's trademark riffage, and soaring vocals. The choruses are readymade for the radio which may anger some, but if you didn't know this was coming you haven't been listening hard enough. Sevendust has ALWAYS been "poppy" and in case you forgot, "Seasons" is here to remind you. Most songs on this album are under 4 minutes long and those of you who liked the longer songs of "Animosity" may be disappointed here.

Listening to a "Sevendust" album is (please pardon the pun...I noticed it shortly before I started typing this) very much like "X-Mas Day"...you always seem to get what you want when you open the wrapper.

Be warned, the choruses are SO catchy you WILL be singing them in your head when you LEAST expect it.

Sevendust...if you EVER read this: if you DO NOT release "Broken Down" as a single, you're nuts. When radio gets a hold of this...they'll play it so much that YOU'LL even be sick of it.

Sevendust you have quite the task ahead of you...how can you follow up an album even better than this?

This is the best heavy rock album of the year and the new standard by which all melodic pop metal albums will be judged.

Growth, thats what this album is all about. Sevendust have evolved more each album, but this is the high point. Disease opens the album with a nasty growl that any fan loves to hear. Powerful song overall. Enemy is next which is the most different of any other song Sevendust have done. Nothing really fancy, but a great song espescially if you know the subject matter. Third is Seasons, another classic Sevendust dong with melody and intensity working hand in hand. Broken Down is the ext song and it takes you to a whole new place; the music, along with Lajon's unique voice make this one of the tracks of the year from any artist. Seperate and Honesty are two more good old rock and roll songs with a slight metallic twist that fits so nicely with Sevendust. Then the softer side of Sevendust kicks in, The Skeleton Song is very passionate and emotional, yet very open to ones own interpretation thus making it another fantastic track. Disgrace comes along and gives you another taste of what you'd come to expect from the first half of the album. Then the album switches yet again to the most radio friendly track Burned Out. Seriously probably one of Sevvendust's most radio friendly songs with the exception o maybe Xmas Day and Angel's Son. Then Suffocate and Gone Come back and Sevendust show us how real musicians make music. Then the closer, Face to Face. The track that ties this album together with the rest of Sevendust's albums the most. Ferocious yet melodic and very captivating.

The DVD addition was very nice, with an acoustic version of Black, a MTV Punkd inspired prank by Morgan, and a bonus track Inner City Blues. Definitly a great album in all aspects, hopefully this will be the one to bring them the platinum disc they so rightfully deserve.

Hmm, there seems to be an awful lot of disappointment among Sevendust fans here. Well, I for one am far from disappointed. The main thing that puts Sevendust above the almost never-ending pantheon of boring numetal bands (besides them just having better music overall) is the fact that they're progressing. Just about every album is an extention of the last, and they are crafting and refining their sound with every release.

"Seasons" is the culmination of what they've been developing into ever since their excellent debut. Their last album, "Animosity", was just fantastic, and I think I have enjoyed it more and more with every listen, but I think that Sevendust may very have topped that fantastic release with this one here. The melodies, the riffs, the vocal harmonies, everything that has defined Sevendust's signature sound has been further perfected here, in what I can't describe as anything but a magnificent piece of work. Their riffs are tighter than ever (and they've got the distortion a bit more under control, which is a very good thing), and Morgan's drumming just gets more and more awesome. Very technical rhythms, but still very tasteful and dripping with groove. One of my favorite drummers these days, without a doubt. And of course, Lajon rules, but you already knew that, didn't you?

As for the songs, I could very well shower them all with equal amounts of praise, but there are a few I particularly enjoy. "Enemy" is an extremely angry, aggressive track, with some semi-rapped vocals and venomous lyrics directed toward Coal Chamber frontman Dez Farfarra. This song may seem to many like just your average angry numetal song, but I think what really makes it interesting is that it is an outcry against the arrogance and falsehood often represented in the genre. So it's really kind of an ironic track if you think about it, and a darn good one at that. Morgan and Lajon trading off on the vocals is a killer effect. "Suffocate" and the title track are top-notch catchy rockers, and "Gone" and "Skeleton Song" slow things down a bit with some nice acoustic guitars. "Face to Face" is another angry one. Not sure who this one was directed towards, but it makes for a fiery closer. Kind of reminds me a bit of a rock version of LL Cool J (and I mean that in the best possible way, as LL is one of the few rappers that I like and respect). I don't want to make it sound like this album is one big extended middle finger, though. It's really only those two songs. The rest is more introspective lyrically, and relying more on groove and melody than pure vitriol.

But anyway, like I said, this whole album is great. One of the best albums of the year without a doubt. No matter what kind of music you listen to, you have a pretty good chance of enjoying most of this. It's just that good.

A week ago, if you had asked me what my favorite album of all time was, I would have to say Sevendust's Animosity. Today, if you were to ask me the same question, I would say Sevendust's Seasons. While this album may not break as much ground as their previous effort, it expands off of the concepts used in Animosity and uses a new lyrical style to create one of the best albums EVER. Gone are the random sentence fragments used in the past three records, replaced with poetic works of art. I would like to give an in-depth review of each song because they all need an individual review:

"DISGRACE" - A very good opener. This isn't as heavy as their previous openers, but it contains that disjointed sound used in songs like "T.O.A.B." and "Denial". I don't quite understand the lyrics. 4/5

"ENEMY" - 1st single. Very driving song. I've never heard the band sound this angry. This song is actually directed to Coal Chamber/Devildriver frontman Dez Fafara. Drummer Morgan Rose wrote the lyrics. Also, very cool guitar opening. 5/5

"SEASONS" - Incredible song. Has the potential to be a single. Very beautiful chorus where Lajon sings: "The seasons are way too cold, will we last another year?". Similar to "Trust" from Animosity. 5/5

"BROKEN DOWN" - Another excellent work of art. Beautiful singing from Lajon and Clint. Ends with a very familiar tune. 5/5

"SEPARATE" - I'm surprised that this song is on the Headbanger's Ball compilation, as it is a mid-tempo piece. Similar to "Reconnect" and "Crucified", but not as memorable. 4/5

"HONESTY" - Another mid-tempo song. Very cool guitar/vocal blending with Clint performing back-ups. 4.5/5

"SKELETON SONG" - The "Xmas Day" of Seasons. A beautiful song that stands out from the rest of the album. Lajon proves once again that he is one of the best vocalists ever. 5/5

"DISGRACE" - My least favorite track on the record. I don't think it's very catchy, but it isn't bad. 3.5/5

"BURNED OUT" - A favorite, similar to "Live Again" and "Grasp" from the previous two releases. It starts off with Lajon and Morgan playing and then the rest of the band joins in a few seconds later. Then comes the chorus, which is breathtaking. Every time I listen to the lyrics, chills run down my spine. They're that deep! 5.5/5

"SUFFOCATE" - A fast-paced song, even faster than "Praise". Sevendust sounds very different on this song compared to their previous work. 4/5

"GONE" - A beautiful song that gave me chills. I love the lyric: "When I'm gone, don't fill the space that still belongs to me". Everyone should hear this song if you have ever liked Sevendust. 5/5

"FACE TO FACE" - The BEST song on the album. Another angry song that breaks down into a melodic chorus. Lajon remains undefeated as the best vocalist EVER!!! I love the baseball game metaphor used in the second half of the song. 6/5

I'll close this review with a statement. If this album proves anything at all, it's that even though the seasons change, Sevendust is here to stay.

When it comes to hard rock and melody no one does it better than Sevendust. Ever since I picked up Animosity a couple years ago they have become my favorite band and Seasons is a great addition to the Sevendust collection. I understand many people feel like they (sold out) on this album and that it was too soft but you have to understand something. People go through changes in life and LJ said it himself, "This is really a healing album." After the death of his brother the band really had to find itself again and this cd is a true reflection of that.

This is probably the most beautiful musically and its great in that anyone can pick it up and enjoy it. I highly recommend this and all the other albums (particularly animosity, which is there best album to date, and the self titled for some of the greatest heavy songs sevendust has produced). There is not a more genuine , honest, or harderworking band in the business.