Sevendust are one of the few bands that have, and I am loathed to use the word, “evolved” significantly over the period of their career yet still managed to take the majority of their fans on the journey with them.
Over 12 albums Sevendust has experimented with all-out aggressive metal to soulful ballads to acoustic numbers, all the while sweeping their adoring public along for the ride.
With this in mind, “All I See Is War” is vintage Sevendust. Harking back to the earlier days of Home and their self-titled album, opener ‘Dirty’ sets the tone early for all-out barrage Sevendust style. Album Closer ‘The Truth’ also reflects back to these days but in between is a steady mixture of almost everything the band has flirted with over the years.
For me, Sevendust are at their pulsating best when drummer Morgan Rose provides screaming/back ups, and with this album, those are again in abundance.
Signature time changes mixed in with some fresh sounds in ‘God Forbid’ showcase how far Sevendust have come since their debut and while each member (of which they are all still original) provides their own bit of magic, it is vocalist Lajon Witherspoon who shines most on this release. His soulful, yet aggressive voice soars over songs like ‘Medicated’ and ‘Cheers’ while the bold new approach including almost orchestral elements on ‘Unforgiven’ shows a band at the top of their game unafraid to experiment.
‘Risen’ is straight out old school Sevendust, with thunderous down-tuned guitars and gang vocals proving there is still plenty of juice left in the tank.
While a couple of slower numbers like ‘Sickness’ and ‘Not Original’ take a touch of shine off what would otherwise be an extremely polished record (and that is only because of my aversion to ballads – the song themselves are beautifully done), overall All I See Is War is an overdue return to form by Sevendust.
Pre-orders for “All I See Is War” are available now
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