Since its recent release on April Fool's Day, the new CD from Georgia's Sevendust -- Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow -- has been making a notable impression on the charts, and rightly so. It's the seventh studio outing for the Atlanta-based quintet, and it's certain to be on glorious live display soon, when Sevendust hits the road with Slipknot and Disturbed for the first annual Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, starting July 9th in Seattle. Some might categorize the 11-track effort as "nu-metal," which is a tag that has accompanied the band's music from the self-titled debut in 1997. But really, so many diverse elements go into Sevendust's sound that it would be limiting and short-sighted to attach any one label in an attempt to pigeonhole these musicians. It's punchy modern rock that's structured and polished enough for the thoughtful aficionado, yet hard enough throughout to make a headbanger stand up and say, "Yeah!"
When the album blasts off with "Inside," the listener is immediately made aware of singer Lajon Witherspoon's vocal versatility and drummer Morgan Rose's percussive prowess. Lajon belts out hearty yells and soulful screams that remain undimmed through a decade and more of bringing it onstage, yet he never fails to counter the clamor with controlled, wide-ranging melody. Morgan's studied creativity anchors and spices the mix, venturing well beyond the common diet of double-bass rolls while the guitars of John Connolly and Sonny Mayo take turns stabbing and jabbing above the chunky bottom of Vinnie Hornsby's bass. (According to latest reports, founding guitarist Clint Lowery has rejoined Sevendust, taking back over from Sonny, who played with the band from 2005 until this year, while Clint was away with a band called Dark New Day.)
On Hope & Sorrow, songs as "Scapegoat," "Fear" and "Contradiction" percolate with insistent, choppy beats and deft licks, steadily contrasting Lajon's sternly chanted passages with tunefully sung verses. Track 6, "The Past," is highlighted by support from breakout American Idol artist Chris Daughtry. The popular singer-guitarist, a longtime Sevendust fan who has garnered gold records and Grammy nominations with his own self-named band, brings both harmonies and alternating lead vocals to the powerfully-building composition. Two other surprise guests on the disk are Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge. As Mark checks in on "Hope" and Miles adds his input with "Sorrow," the guests thus manifest the yin and yang of the album's title. (Mark also contributed a guitar solo to "Inside.) "Hope" begins with a wistfully ethereal piano line, and keyboards also appear in "Sorrow," and in both songs, stringlike accompaniments sometimes evoke the accents of India.
"Prodigal Son" is hard-rock interpretation of the Biblical parable, addressing a washed-out, wayward youth's decision to make the difficult journey home -- hoping for a merciful handout. And at the end, "Walk Away" concludes with a minute or so of gentle interplay between guitar and keyboard, blending in a manner that not only quells whatever hard emotions may have come, but that also suggests much more hope than sorrow. With spring in the air and a tour on the way, Sevendust fans are justified indeed for having high hopes, knowing that an outstanding performance is sure to showcase this fine new disk before long.
