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.

My only criticism is that some songs are just SO DAMN good, others are only GOOD by comparison. "Enemy" could have been left off this album, I feel it is a bit too cliche and actually the worst song on the album...releasing this as a single really doesn't do this album justice.

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.


Heavy, yet Soulful   October 10, 2003
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I have always said that the best bands are ones that are constantly improving rather than retreading familiar terriotory or radically changing their sound (e.g. KoRn). After listening to this CD, I can honestly Sevendust falls into the first category. With their first album, Sevendust introduced a somewhat generic nu-metal sound, but nonetheless, it held promise with its hard and heavy riffs, as well as its pounding rhythms. In Home, they refined their sound, making it far more unique, but most of the songs tended to sound rather generic. Animosity was really a turning point for the band. It combined, but it added in a new element of soulfulness that had not been found in their previous albums. Songs like "Live Again" and "X-Mas Day" are probably the best examples of this. Now, with Seasons, Sevendust has taken the progression even further. But is this the right direction for them to be taking?

There's been a backlash against metal bands taking their songs in a more emotional, yet less heavy direction, and so it comes as no surprise that there are some Sevendust fans feeling left out with this album and Animosity. Personally, I could care less as their songs on this album show light years more complextity, feeling, and variety than their old stuff does. Now, that is not to say Seasons doesn't offer some really heavy material, but it does not dominate the album like on their first two albums. Allow me to break it down song by song.

"Disease" (8/10): Following a tradition begun with their first album, the first song on this album is heavy, but unlike their previous two albums, it has a rather catchy guitar riff going on throughout it making it more memborable than "TOAB" and "Home".

"Enemy" (9/10): Just as heavy as "Disease" but there's an element of rap in here mixed in with a more emotional chorus and interesting chorus.

"Seasons" (10/10): Another catchy and heavy guitar melody going on, but its not nearly as hard and heavy as the previous two and the focus is more on Lajon's singing.

"Broken Down" (15/10): Probably the best song on the album. It's in the same vein as "Live Again," (A hard and fast song, but still has many ballad-like qualities) but that's not a bad thing. With a unique melody and a powerful chorus, as well as a meaningful lyrics, it simply a very powerful song. I can listen to this song all day.

"Separate" (6/10): Catchy, but it feels too poppish for my tastes. It's growing on me, but not enough to raise its score.

"Honesty" (8/10): A slower song, but by no means soft. Showcases Lajon's talent as a singer, but is not among the more unique songs on the album.

"Skeleton Song" (14/10): An acoustic song a la "X-Mas Day," but even more haunting, especially the chorus. Everything seems to gel here and it's a close second to "Broken Down," though, that could change with time.

"Disgrace" (8/10): Good, but at the same time, sounds a little to similar to "Seasons." While this is not a bad thing as it has enough going for it to stand-out on its own, at the same time, variety is the spice of life.

"Burned Out" (7/10): This is rather generic and sounds like slowed down version of "Shine." It's worth listening to for Lajon's vocals, however.

"Suffocate" (8/10): Not to be confused with the Cold song of the same name, this is real driving and heavy song which gives Morgan a chance to really exercise his vocal chords. Not exceptional, but good.

"Gone" (7/10): Once again, another song whose only failing is its similarity to another song. Unfortunately, that song happens to be "Suffocate" which isn't very exceptional to begin with, and considering they're right next to each other, that makes it sound even more generic.

"Face to Face" (7/10): Probably the heaviest song on the album. If it were used in Home, it would probably be a stand-out song, but it doesn't fit as well as other songs do on the album. The chorus is really good, however. Much like TOAB on Animosity if the rest of the album were like this song, it would probably stand out and be really good.

The only problem with this album is a couple songs are rather generic or just don't fit well in the album. This has always Sevendust's problem and while they're getting better at fixing that, at the same time, it prevents Seasons from being the absolute perfect album. Then again, most albums suffer from the aformentioned problem. Besides that, all of the songs on the album are still high quality (And they're all worth listening to for Lajon's vocals) so it's not like you're going to be reaching for the next track button on your CD player every other song. They all demonstrate the massive amount of talent the band possesses, as well their unique sound which is getting more and more refined with each album. While fans who solely appreciate hard and heavy music (In other words, a lot of noise, screaming, and heavy guitar riffs) might be rather disgruntled that Sevendust is slowly moving away from their earlier material, for the rest of us, Seasons is an album that has a lot to offer in terms of variety and complexity.


Seasons of Growth   October 15, 2003
Isaiah (Boise, ID)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

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.


Nice.   November 30, 2005
Logan (Orange County, CA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Sevendust is an interesting band to me. I'm mostly a fan of Soilwork and Unearth and other harder bands, but this band just sticks out. My first listen to this CD was, "ah, it's all right," but I have absolutely grown to love it. Each of the songs starts off with a heavy riff and screaming, grating music, which then takes a turn and flows into the most catchy, melodic choruses I've ever heard. I dare you to show me a Sevendust song without a beautiful chorus that WILL get stuck in your head. If the only thing you listened to on this CD was the choruses, it would still be worth it. Buy this CD.