The late 1990s were a time of musical turmoil. The end of the brooding “grunge” movement had effectively stunted rock and roll. Most of the acts that popped up in the years immediately subsequent tried to do the same thing, but whilst smiling and donning neatly coiffed hair. There was no question rock and roll would continue selling millions and attracting hoards of fan. The real doubt came when figuring out whether the next movement would be rooted in pop, hip hop, industrial, or retro rock (among other subgenres).
Hailing from Atlanta, Sevendust formed in 1994. Despite recording under the name Crawlspace, the band didn’t really make a bid for musical gold until releasing their 1997 debut. Sevendust, named after the nasty bug killer sevin which comes in the form of a powdery dust, definitely connected with audiences in the late part of the decade. They made a kind of metal that wasn’t afraid to have a little melody. That said, I wouldn’t call them genius or revolutionary. The band definitely entertains…regardless of the lack of creative zest.
Sevendust is even today fronted by Lajon Witherspoon. Along with guitarists John Connolly and Clint Lowery (who was recently replaced by Sonny Mayo), bassist Vince Horsby, and drummer Morgan Rose the band continues to release albums the most recent of which being Next (2005). Their most critically acclaimed outing is probably 1999’s Home which includes modest hits Denial and Waffle. Like Faith No More, Living Colour, and even Nirvana before, Sevendust is unafraid to lead toward the melodic and dramatic. Overall this approach works relatively well, but the formulaic arrangements and sound tend to grow tired after a while. As much as I want to fault them for the immature and mainstream oriented first release, I cannot. The band helped expose a wider, MTV audience to metal.
A combination of impeccable timing, a major label deal with TVT, and a variety of major tours helped catapult the band to a modest level of stardom. The songs certainly helped them along the way, but still I can’t help but wonder if there would have been the same amount of attention paid to Sevendust had they appeared a few years earlier or later. The band’s self titled debut opens with the strong Black. A grinding, melodic, thick hard rock/metal track is definitely an easy listen. The combo of Witherspoon’s throaty vocals, the wild electric guitars, and the pounding percussion works nicely. My only real complaint is that there is something that bogs the song down—the pace seems to alternate between midtempo and fast. I guess I would have just preferred the band to choose a more distinct direction. That said, I do enjoy Black.
The album continues with two more strong songs--Bitch and Terminator. I particularly appreciate the acoustic and evocative opener to Bitch. A great deal of effort was put into making it melodic and pretty which contrasts to the speed-metal influenced bulk of the song. It works nicely and definitely ranks among my favorite selections on this album. Witherspoon proves he is a proficient singer and screamer. Continuing in the loud, booming, emotional direction Sevendust then drops Terminator which while being an entertaining enough song is still somewhat bogged down by a confused pace. I enjoy listening to the band, but I don’t enjoy having to always adjust to pace changes and sound changes. I don’t mind an intro, but I don’t like general musical perplexion.
Too Close to Hate is the first really, really disappointing song from Sevendust. It lacks any direction and is too serious for its own good. The band often deals with issues (both political and person) but when it spills over and taints the overall quality of a track I can’t help but be unhappy about the situation. In this case, the singing is still outstanding but the arrangement and pretty much everything else is sub par. The topic? Metal illness. I feel a yawn coming on. Wired, Prayer, Face and Speak are little more than filler. There are definitely some interesting interludes (like the delicate start of Prayer) but by and large I can’t help but feel very for or against this grouping of songs.
It really takes until the end of this album for Sevendust to grab my attention again. Will it Bleed is a fine enough, crunchy enough, and loud enough song to whet my appetite. It has the problems with pacing, but I like the way the band sounds. Fortunately My Ruin comes next and definitely ranks among the few decent songs on this album. It is intense and uncharacteristically (for this album at least) organized. The funny thing is that the band seems to be emulating Alice in Chains as much as anything—I don’t get that vibe off of any song here. Witherspoon plays with a Layne Staley kind of growl that is suited to his voice even if it is derivative. I do like My Ruin despite these faults. It is certainly better than the album ender Born to Die which is just as bland and unremarkable as the four middle tracks.
Sevendust has of course continued to make music since their debut. They have unleashed four additional albums and landed on the charts multiple times. I wouldn’t say that Sevendust made the best impression with this first album but it is a fair and not completely offensive release. I can definitely think of worse discs to pop into my stereo.
Rating: 2.5/5 stars (rounded up)
Track Listing:
01. Black
02. Bitch
03. Terminator
04. Too Close to Hate
05. Wired
06. Prayer
07. Face
08. Speak
09. Will It Blled
10. My Ruin
11. Born to Die
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