 | Sevendust's latest effort, Seasons, is an amalgum of beautiful harmony and thundering power. In true Sevendust style, the main riffs from one guitarist are simple and chunky, with overlaying harmonies and accents from the other. The two take turns making the listening musician feel hopeless concerning his own talent. The bass has that familiar rattle that Sevendust fans have come to know and love. Morgan's drumming is right on, with many simple yet emotional fills that bring the songs to life. To round it out, Witherspoon's melodic voice is refreshing in a genre where so many vocalists have little talent aside from their ability to scream (which isn't a talent as much as a natural characteristic of the voice box that some have and others do not).
Songs like "Enemy" (Download it for free at www.Sevendust.com!) illustrate the wonderful outlet music can be for feelings of anger and violence:
"Look at your face - look at your name
It's funny you're a loser with only yourself to blame
Cut your fucking hair now - scared of all the stare downs
You wanna be like me cause it's real
So you steal on your way to fame
Never gonna be - never gonna see
Your name in the lights - you can always dream what 'cha could've been"
The title track on the album is an amazingly melodic yet heavy song. "Broken Down" continues this theme, along with "Skeleton Song," which is the most relaxing song on the album. To kick the intensity up, songs such as "Separate" and "Face to Face" really kick your teeth in. In my opinion, "Face to Face" is the best hard rock song to come out of 2003. It's got an in your face riff you can't escape, an infectious hook in the chorus, and balls-out energy that makes you drive your car way faster than you ought to.
From "Face to Face":
"There's not one thing that you can say to make it right unless you say 'I'm leavin'."
The CD came with a DVD, which shows the guys in the studio recording, goofing around, and discussing the concepts and processes involved in writing and recording the album. Tracks from the album are mixed with video from the studio for the songs "Enemy" and "Seasons." Also, there is a sweet video of the guys performing "Black" (a very heavy song from their first album) unplugged. There's also an exclusive audio track (not included on the CD) of "Inner City Blues."
The value of getting this great album and the bonus DVD together is awesome. There's definitely a trend right now leaning toward bonus DVDs with CDs and this package absolutely blew me away. It's worth every penny! |
