Sevendust

Sevendust’s fourth full-length studio effort, Seasons, offers up the band’s signature sound with a vengeance. Lajon Witherspoon’s voice is stronger that ever, delivering gut-busting melodies on top of one of the most solid foundations of a band in metal today. My only issue with Sevendust is that as these Atlanta, Georgia natives release more discs, they start to blend into each other. They take small steps into a new direction but they aren’t willing to take a leap of faith into something radically outside of the style that has given them success to date. There isn’t much standing in between Seasons’ "Enemy” and their self-titled debut’s "Black.” That aside, this band writes damned good songs. The lyrics coupled with the brilliantly basic guitars on "Separate” are breathtaking. Breaking the mould of the traditional power ballad, Sevendust keeps the sentiment while ignoring the unwritten rule demanding slow tempo guitars on "Honesty.” The accompanying DVD that comes with Seasons is full of the typical in-studio interviews, song explanations and antics. But it is the acoustic set from a small, hometown venue that makes it a nice addition to the album.