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2. Sevendust - Alpha
Any other band that experienced the kinds of things Sevendust has had to undergo would have probably thrown in the towel by now. They lost a guitarist/singer in the middle of a tour, been divorced, lost friends and family members, and all of this happened before the whole record label struggle. Instead of delaying the music writing and recording process though, it all seems to have driven (if you'll pardon the coincidental use of the term) the band to a pinnacle. Alpha is Sevendust's best album.
The album is relentlessly heavy from start to finish, with the only real pause to catch your breath in the second half of "Burn", the band's longest and most ambitious song to date. By the way, "Burn" is the second to last track on the album, so you've got a lot of heaviness to get through before you get a chance to rest, and let me assure you it is worth every minute and then some.
It has been said by some fans that this is the heaviest album since their self-titled debut, but frankly it still blows that album out of the water. Imagine the heaviest songs the band has ever done, such as "Black", "Rumble Fish" (or "Assdrop" if you have the greatest hits album), and "Face to Face", and now imagine all of it being played back to back. Alpha delivers on that level of intensity from the opening note in "Deathstar" through the superb hooks of "Driven" all the way to the blistering conclusion with the title track.
Musically the band does shake things up a bit, with some neat vocal effects at the end of "Under" and the brief but enticing piano opening in "Aggression". Lyrically they aren't breaking any new ground and they aren't quite so diverse, but they are definitely still just as emotionally driven and convincing as they have always been, retaining a good sense of melody with Lajon's voice and a good sense of tenacity with Morgan's.
So after more than ten years as a band and after all that they have gone through, the fire is definitely still in their belly on this sixth album and it instills confidence to their fan base that they will be kicking ass for many years to come.
(author's note: I realize this review is quite similar to the one that I already wrote about it months ago, but I did not refer to it at all when I wrote this one, and the band and the album deserve a lot more praising reviews that I can give them)
2. Sevendust - Alpha
Any other band that experienced the kinds of things Sevendust has had to undergo would have probably thrown in the towel by now. They lost a guitarist/singer in the middle of a tour, been divorced, lost friends and family members, and all of this happened before the whole record label struggle. Instead of delaying the music writing and recording process though, it all seems to have driven (if you'll pardon the coincidental use of the term) the band to a pinnacle. Alpha is Sevendust's best album.
The album is relentlessly heavy from start to finish, with the only real pause to catch your breath in the second half of "Burn", the band's longest and most ambitious song to date. By the way, "Burn" is the second to last track on the album, so you've got a lot of heaviness to get through before you get a chance to rest, and let me assure you it is worth every minute and then some.
It has been said by some fans that this is the heaviest album since their self-titled debut, but frankly it still blows that album out of the water. Imagine the heaviest songs the band has ever done, such as "Black", "Rumble Fish" (or "Assdrop" if you have the greatest hits album), and "Face to Face", and now imagine all of it being played back to back. Alpha delivers on that level of intensity from the opening note in "Deathstar" through the superb hooks of "Driven" all the way to the blistering conclusion with the title track.
Musically the band does shake things up a bit, with some neat vocal effects at the end of "Under" and the brief but enticing piano opening in "Aggression". Lyrically they aren't breaking any new ground and they aren't quite so diverse, but they are definitely still just as emotionally driven and convincing as they have always been, retaining a good sense of melody with Lajon's voice and a good sense of tenacity with Morgan's.
So after more than ten years as a band and after all that they have gone through, the fire is definitely still in their belly on this sixth album and it instills confidence to their fan base that they will be kicking ass for many years to come.
(author's note: I realize this review is quite similar to the one that I already wrote about it months ago, but I did not refer to it at all when I wrote this one, and the band and the album deserve a lot more praising reviews that I can give them)