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SEVENDUST Chapter VII:
Hope and Sorrow
Over ten years in the making, Sevendust breaks out of the heavy metal corner and makes a musically-diverse album with Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow, but still delivers the quality and spiritual punch that had defined the band’s unique sound. The nearly 47-minute runtime of the 11-track album produced by Sean Groove, Morgan Rose, and John Connolly takes the traditional heavy sound of Sevendust and expands into a direction that almost tells an epic tale lyrically and musically. Despite it being half way into the album, the first single, “Prodigal Son”, defines the band’s new direction of musical exploration. “Reaching for the peace of mind that I can’t find / the sun keeps fading away / searching for a feeling that will never come / the return of the prodigal son / this journey’s just begun / I finally found the feeling / the return of the prodigal son.” The opening track “Inside” almost can be mistaken for something industrial with it’s first minute of drum machine sweeps and shallow crashes; however, it quickly smacks right into what listeners for years have come to know as Sevendust: the tight and thick driven drums of Morgan Rose, the bass-rhythm of Vinnie Hornsby, the crunch-distortion of guitarists John Connolly and Sonny Mayo (as of this writing Mayo has departed from Sevendust and been replaced by former guitarist Clint Lowery), and the powerful lead vocals of Lajon Witherspoon. The initial reaction to seeing names of Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy (both of Alter Bridge) tie in that feeling of possible watered down Creed influence, but surprisingly the songs sound more full with the sound Sevendust fans appreciate. Tremonit’s contribution to “Hope” turns a soft piano ballad into an epic told through a dark symphony of strings, double-bass blasting by Rose, and the scream/sing change up of Lajon. Even with “Sorrow”, Lajon said it best in a recent interview. “[Kennedy] sent it back to us with this beautiful part he laid down that was almost like Jeff Buckley,” said Lajon. American Idol contestant / songwriter Chris Daughtry makes an acoustic appearance in “The Past” with the band backing up the heavy electric end. Daughty, a long time fan of Sevendust, brings a radio-quality musical track that equates to the tone of the last few releases of Staind with its powerful emotionally-driven chorus lyrics “Like a rollercoaster racing through my life / I’ve erased the past again.” The album’s music is quite the rollercoaster, with the last loop of the old school head banging-heavy metal tune “Contradiction.” The concluding track “Walk Away” ties together the album with another industrial-electronic intro, proceeding into a mix of blast beat-metal, and drowning out into the almost Nine Inch Nails mix of warm piano and buried clean guitar. Some fans that are strict metal will find some tracks on the album they like and hate. Some fans of modern radio-play alternative rock will enjoy a few tracks here and there. Overall, the album still delivers the growth of the band’s musical expression without completely compromising the sound Sevendust has created over the last decade. You snag yourself a copy on its April 1st street release date with B-sides available at Best Buy (“Lucky One” and “Heart In My Hand”) or on I-tunes (“Disgust”).
Track Listing for Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow
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