Courtesy: 7Bros. Records
The end of the year is nearly here. That means one thing. Okay, that means lots of things. But for those in the entertainment world (this critic included), it means one thing. That one thing is establishing those annual year-ender lists. Needles to say most of this critic’s lists are done and revealed soon. However, there are some lists that are not yet done. The list for the year’s best new hard rock and metal albums is one of those few left that has yet to be completed. But that is only because there are so many albums from which to choose . There are more great albums than spaces, plain and simple. And just recently yet another of that mass of options was released when veteran hard rock band Sevendust released its latest album Kill The Flaw. From beginning to end, this album proves to be one of the band’s best albums to date. It boasts the band’s trademark meloddic hard rock sound without compromising quality at any given point. That is evident in the album’s opener/lead single ‘Thank You.’ This song was a great choice with which to open KTF (as it will henceforth be called here) both on record and as the album’s lead single. The full reason will be discussed at more length shortly. It is just one example of what makes this latest album (the band’s eleventh full-length studio recording) such a solid return for the veteran Atlanta, Georgia-based band. ‘Silly Beast,’ comes late in the album’s near fifty-minute run time. It is another example of the album’s strength. Its musical content takes listeners back to the band’s 1997 self-titled debut to a point while the lyrics prove to be just as searing as those in this album’s opener. This song is one of the album’s most interesting moments thanks to the mix of its musical and lyrical content. Its musical content harkens back to the days of Animosity while its lyrical content presents its own introspective, thought-provoking message. Last but hardly least of note in this album’s high points is the single ‘Not Today.’ This song is another work that pulls directly from the band’s previous releases at least musically. With its heavy guitars and powerhouse vocal delivery from front man Lajon Witherspoon, it proves to be yet another of the album’s high points. All three songs show in their own way just what makes KTF a solid return for Sevendust. And together with the remaining eight tracks not noted here, all eleven tracks show in whole why this album is in whole one more of the year’s best new hard rock and metal albums.
Sevendust’s eleventh full length studio recording is one of the best of this year’s crop of new hard rock and metal albums. That is clear right from the searing first moments of the album’s opener/lead single ‘Thank You.’ Thanks to the mix of its solid musical content and its indictment of an unnamed figure that has made someone else’s life miserable, it proves to b a song to which every listener will be able to relate. Front man Lajon Witherspoon sings of said individual, “You are the beginning and end to all of this.” He goes on to say to this same individual in the song’s chorus sarcastically, “Thanks for coming around/And pushing my head back to the ground/Thank you for slowing me down/I need to fall back and start it over.” He comes across as saying to said person that he/she has done nothing good for the song’s subject, but ironically has also in turn served as the driving force behind that person striving for something better. That can be argued as Witherspoon sings, “Been holding on so long/Denying what I’ve done/I destroyed myself but I wish you well/The beginning and end to all of this.” Again, there seems to be something of a sense of sarcasm and irony in his delivery. That argument is illustrated even more thanks to the song’s musical content. The tone of the song’s musical content just seems to echo its musical content with its power and the tone. Both elements considered together, they make ‘Thank You’ a song that will have listeners saying thank you to the band for including it in its new album. That is because that mix of musical and lyrical content is sure to provide some emotional strength to any listener that has ever dealt with a situation (or person) such as that depicted here. With all of its power, it is just one example of what makes KTF a welcome, solid return for Sevendust. ‘Silly Beast’ comes later in the album’s run. It is yet another example of the album’s strength.
KTF’s opener/lead single ‘Thank You’ makes clear through the combination of its musical content and searing lyrical content to be a solid opener and first impression from the band in its new album. It is just one example of what makes KTF such a solid return for the band. Later in the album’s run another song is presented that exhibits that strength just as much as ‘Thank You.’ The song in question is ‘Silly Beast.’ Musically speaking, it takes long-time listeners back to the days of the band’s 1997 self-titled debut album thanks in large part to the heavy, crunching, dual guitar attack of Clint Lowery and John Connolly. Drummer Morgan Rose adds even more to that feeling with his work behind the drum kit. While the song’s musical content will definitely put a smile on listeners’ faces, the song’s deep, introspective lyrical content is just as certain to impress listeners and generate its own share of discussions. As Witherspoon sings here, “For all the seasons you have lost/You beg for time/You waste the words (Just let it go)/And on your dying you hold the line/Forget the world/You’re on your own.” The picture painted here comes across at least to this critic as an indictment of a self-defeatist sort of individual. This can be argued just as much as Witherspoon goes on to sing in the song’s chorus, “Beneath this wonderful lie you mastered/You find a dark place/To throw away all the light like a coward/Your miracle’s a lie to us all.” Witherspoon comes across here as saying to the unnamed figure, that everything people see of said figure is a lie. In reality, said figure is just a self-hating type that wants to bring the world down with him/her. The frustration exuded through these lyrics (and Witherspoon’s delivery of said lyrical content) is heightened even more through the song’s musical content. Both elements considered together, they make clear why ‘Silly Beast’ is one more of KTF’s highest points. It is another one of those works to which so many audiences can relate as everyone has dealt with someone such as the figure depicted in this song. Even with that ability to relate to listeners and entertain them at the same time, it is not the only remaining example of this record’s strength.
‘Thank You’ and ‘Silly Beast’ are both clear examples of KTF’s strength. Of course they are hardly the only songs featured in this album that exemplify its strength. ‘Not Today’ is another of the album’s highest points. The song’s heavy guitars set against Witherspoon’s equally powerhouse vocal delivery make the song’s musical content more than enough reason to check out this song. The song’s lyrical content makes even more reason for listeners to hear this song, which is another of the album’s singles. Witherspoon sings here, “This is the thing that swallows you whole/Don’t give away what you wanted so long/There’s no more words/No more reasons/Not one more lie you can feed us/Oh you know all the things we loathe/We become it/I defeated it/We will become this.” He goes on to sing, “Resist/You bite your tongue and stay asleep/That’s all the dirt that we need/The guilty pleasure you came for fed your disease/It don’t stick/The lines/are blurred and grey/Go on and try to kill love/And that’s your last mistake/Is that the thanks we get/Yeah, that’s the thanks we get.” It is only this critic’s interpretation, but these lines come across as Witherspoon saying to an unnamed figure that the very thing that said figure tries to pretend doesn’t exist and it is destroying said person. This could very well be completely off the path. But again it is only the interpretation of this critic. Regardless of right or wrong, the very fact that the song’s lyrical content could generate its own share of interest and discussion proves even more why this song is one of KTF’s most notable works. Together with the likes of ‘Thank You’ and ‘Silly Beast’ all three songs show together just how solid and strong KTF is. That is not to ignore any of the album’s other unnoted compositions. The fact of the matter is that all eleven tracks considered together, they make KTF one more of this year’s best new hard rock and metal albums.
Kill The Flaw is one of Sevendust’s best albums to date. It is also one of the best of this year’s crop of new hard rock and metal albums. That is made evident through three of its highest points in the album’s opener/lead single ‘Thank You.’ ‘Silly Beast,’ another of those high points is another example of what makes this record so strong. ‘Not Today’ shows to be such an interesting point in this record because the combination of its musical and lyrical content will definitely have listeners talking, regardless of listeners’ familiarity with the band’s body of work. Together with the album’s remaining unnoted songs, all eleven songs featured in this record make it in whole a solid record that deserves a spot on any critic’s year-ender list of the year’s best new hard rock and metal albums. It is available now in stores and online. It can be ordered online direct via Sevendust’s official website at http://www.sevendust.com. More information on Kill The Flaw is available online now along with all of Sevendust’s latest news at:
Website: http://www.sevendust.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sevendustofficial
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