Sevendust

In the late '90s and early 2000s, there were countless alternative metal bands that were similar to Sevendust in many respects -- bands that could be bone crushing but also had a sense of melody; bands that thrived on dark, angst-ridden lyrics and were as angry as they were introspective. But most of them couldn't match Sevendust's excellence; even if they had the basics down, their writing wasn't as consistent. Plus, they didn't have anyone as exciting as lead singer Lajon Witherspoon (whose soulful, R&B-influenced vocals set Sevendust apart from most of the group's competitors in the alt-metal field). Released in 2003, the Atlanta residents' fourth album, Seasons, came six years after their 1997 debut -- and creatively, they don't lose any momentum on this forceful yet melodic CD. Surprisingly, Seasons was produced by singer/songwriter Butch Walker, who is known for his years with Marvelous 3 and is generally a lot more pop-minded than Witherspoon and his colleagues -- not exactly the first person one would expect to produce a Sevendust disc. But in fact, Walker produced some demos for Sevendust before the band signed with TVT (back when the group was known as Crawlspace). And even though Walker doesn't have a long resumé when it comes to alt-metal, he works out well on Seasons. From the burning anger of "Enemy" (drummer Morgan Rose's blistering attack on former Coal Chamber singer B. Dez Fafara) to the dark introspection of "Suffocate," "Broken Down," "Separate," and "Skeleton Song," Seasons is far from a happy CD. But it's a compelling CD -- perhaps too dark for some listeners, but compelling nonetheless -- and Sevendust continues to live up to its high standards throughout the band's fourth album. [Initial pressings of Seasons, Rovi