Sevendust has been one of the most consistently solid bands of any genre over the last 25-30 years. Their 1997 self-titled debut album turned heads with a timely burst of alt-metal // nu-metal, oscillating between the heavy and the melodic almost effortlessly. That tends to happen when you’re armed with musicians that know exactly what they need to do and then execute it, and it helps that Lajon Witherspoon possessed the charisma and passion to reel in many a listener as well.
On 1999’s Home, though, Sevendust still had something to prove. The eternal question for a second album is almost always this: Is it smarter for the artist to continue only doing what works? Or is it prudent to strike more of a balance between experimentation and familiarity?
On Home, Sevendust provided the answer in a very effective way. In reality, the album isn’t that much different than their debut album. However, with the benefit of more recording experience, these songs have more room to stand out. “Denial” and “Waffle” are quintessential Sevendust tracks, the quality of which helped the record go Gold. But it’s two guest vocalists (“Licking Creme”, “Bender”) that are also quite familiar. Skunk Anansie’s Skin and Deftones’ own Chino Moreno appear on these respective two tracks, and remarkably they both mesh well with Lajon’s vocal abilities. Yeah, it’s really not a surprise this would become their second Gold record.
