Animosity

by

Sevendust

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Even though it seems to be a rather unpopular opinion, it is mine that Sevendust's third album, 2001's "Animosity," is the one that truly captures and defines the group. While it's predecessors, the self-titled debut and it's follow-up, "Home," seemed a bit conflicted and their fourth effort, "Seasons," marked a more stream-lined approach, this is the one album that really brings all the elements of Sevendust to the table: Introspective and mature song writing, beefy guitar riffs, and soothing melodies coupled with abrasive yelling. Depsite the fact that they pull off this sound better than just about everyone else out there, they still haven't gotten the recognition they deserve. When they made their debut, the nu-metal scene was slowly on the rise. When "Home" came around, every band that had crunchy guitars was a success. And, even though bands like Staind and Incubus were breaking through in 2001 with honest, straight-forward rock music, Sevendust still couldn't catch a break. Which is a shame, as "Animosity" stands as one of the most memorable releases of that year.

To me, "Animosity," sounds more complete than previous works. Before this album, I couldn't quite understand Sevendust. Don't get me wrong, I love their old stuff, but a lot of it just sounded so disjointed. Here, the group seem more focused than ever, and in turn, all thirteen tracks are winners. No filler, whatsoever. The album starts off in traditional Sevendust fashion with the fierce "T.O.A.B." and the equally energetic "Praise." From there, however, the focus seems to be more on song-writing than on sonic bombast. "Trust" is probably the ideal single, even though it was never chosen. It is just one of those songs that you will instantly click into and is a huge representation of Sevendust's maturity. Likewise, the emotionally draining "X-Mas Day," penned entirely by band guitarist Clint Lowery, will grasp your attention. The song was written about domestic abuse and the childhood experiences of Clint and his brother Corey (whom Clint later left Sevendust to be with in Dark New Day). Other standouts include "Live Again," with it's strong, positive message, "Follow," which marks a collaboration with Staind frontman Aaron Lewis, and a reworking of "Angel's Son," complete with string section. Now, I'm not quite sure why they decided to re-record this song, (which previously appeared on the Lynn Strait (Snot) tribute album, "Strait Up"), but it sounds just as good, if not, better here.

Overall, I have to say, it's a perfect album. It's got it's loud moments, but it also has the reflective, personal moments too. Perfect balance of all things Sevendust. Plus, the production by Ben Grosse (who also did Filter's "Title Of Record") is the best the band have been subjected to. The sound of this album is much more crisp and cleaner, which is a major contribution to why I feel this to be Sevendust's shining album. I highly recommend this album. Just give it a chance, and don't judge it by everything else you hear on the radio. Sevendust stand in a league of their own. They work hard, and the effort they put in really shows, especially on this album.

I've listened to Sevendust for a while now. And I'm still disappointed with what I see from them. The songs are lyrically good, along with the rest of the musicianship. What detracts however is the bands incessant desire to scream on every track, despite how the song flows. Most of the songs are quite good, but their flow is just disrupted by the screaming. I can't wait for the day that Sevendust realize their potential and figure out that they don't always need to scream in a song, and thus disrupt its flow. Proof that this can be accomplished is the song Live Again which flows very nicely and is my fav. off the whole cd. And yes I know that all the Sevendust fanatics are saying that the screaming is what makes them so great, so just take my opinion as you want, I don't care what you think.