Sevendust has the uncanny ability to generate the most soulful of melodies in between vicious lyrics that often examine intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships. The wars that we wage against ourselves and others, in a way. They’ve outlasted basically every trend in the music industry, surviving the initial decline of nu-metal, and even thrived during it. Timeless music and obvious talent has the ability to do that for you.
You’re probably wondering how the vocalist of a band who has been nominated for a Grammy award, had their first three full-lengths go Gold, and has sold millions of albums, can possibly be underrated. A band that’s played major festivals and toured with Metallica, for example. A band that played one of the most memorable sets at Woodstock ’99. Other bands may have had bigger hit singles than Sevendust, but few have had the kind of longevity that they possess. In fact, their vocal melodies and harmonies between melodic and aggressive are something they do better than almost every band out there.
Sevendust performing “Denial” at Woodstock 99 (1999) pic.twitter.com/22bEyDY4a0
— crazy ass moments in nu metal history (@numetal_moment) February 19, 2023
Here’s a hint. Much of the band’s distinct appeal lies in the honestly incredible (and immediately recognizable) voice of frontman Lajon Witherspoon. He is without question one of the most distinct vocalists in all of rock and metal, and his synergy with both the aggressive vocals of drummer/vocalist Morgan Rose and guitarist Clint Lowery is something to truly behold. Even on the band’s heavier tracks, like “Too Close To Hate” and “Face To Face”, Witherspoon’s R&B and soul influences are immediately obvious – owing to his upbringing as well as the musicians and bands who influenced him. Seriously, “Face To Face” is one of Sevendust’s heaviest (and grooviest) songs, yet Witherspoon’s talent elevates tracks like that into something more multi-dimensional.
The opening track on Sevendust’s self-titled debut full-length, “Black”, was written directly about the racism that Lajon Witherspoon experienced during his initial breakthrough into the music scene. Yet, Witherspoon and Sevendust as a whole appeal to a wide demographic of people, and even now you’ll find particularly younger Sevendust fans who recently discovered the band at the same venue with their parents – or even their grandparents. Pretty incredible.
It’s for good reason that no band wants to try and follow up Sevendust at a live show. Sevendust’s mantra is built on groove and soul, aggression and confrontation of the most difficult events of life. And there’s no better frontman to embody the elements of truth and soul (to reference Fishbone) than Witherspoon. If anything, the band’s synergy between all 5 members is an electrifying one. While other veteran bands struggle to reach the kind of heights they did 10+ years ago, Sevendust have released some of their best material recently. Listen to Witherspoon and Sevendust rage on Black Out The Sun‘s ‘Till Death” and get back to us.
