Sevendust

There’s something almost intangible about a band with strong chemistry. When the guitarists vibe off each other just right, the bassist is lock in step with the drummer, the music almost transcends the musicians. And when the vocalist is feeding off the power of the other players, almost anything is possible. It’s something Sevendust learned early in their career when guitarist Clint Lowery joined forces with the eclectic Atlanta group. “I knew once I got him in there that he could definitely change the band fully,” says drummer Morgan Rose. “His background vocals and his writing style and guitar playing were the final ingredients for us to become the band that we needed to be.”

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With Lowery as a major contributor, Sevendust released four albums that stretched the limits of hard rock and metal, combining elements of thrash, classic metal, southern rock and soul into songs that were both sinfully tuneful and ruthlessly aggressive. Then in 2003, after the release of Seasons, the guitarist quit to focus on his other band Dark New Day. Sevendust continued for three more albums, and enjoyed considerable success, but something was clearly missing. So, when the band reunited with Lowery in early 2008, it was like the missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle was finally reinserted and the picture was again complete. “It was really cool having Clint back in the band,” vocalist Lajon Witherspoon says. “That energy was great and it was really exciting to be able to work together to really hone in on what we had before and make it even better.”

The band’s latest record, Cold Day Memory, capitalizes on all of Sevendust’s chemistry and potential. While the band’s last few efforts were mainly heavy and rhythmic, the new songs balance brutality with textural passages and infectious counter-melodies. There are even fleet-fingered guitar solos. But whether confronting the listener with double-bass drums and staccato power chords or using melodic arpeggios and soft brush strokes to sweeten the sound of Witherspoon’s multi-faceted vocals, Sevendust sound excited, energized and ready to take on the world. “We wanted to change the template completely from what we did with our last album Hope and Sorrow," Rose explains. “We were going, ‘Let’s bring back those other elements Clint brought in that made us what we were.' So we sort of made a silent agreement that we were going to let Clint run wild.” “I just wanted us to do what we do best,” Lowery says. “We have a lot of melody that’s a cool contrast to the heavy music that we play. So, you’ll have a melodic chorus that comes out of nowhere, but we still have aggressive vocals there. And I did a lot with the harmonies, but I also did a lot of the heavy vocal stuff as well. So it was a challenge for me to really dig in and find a voice that was aggressive enough to where it sounded sincere enough to put on the record. We’re a very heavy, but melodic band and I wanted to maintain that.”