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
'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
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 didn't lose any momentum on this forceful yet melodic CD. Surprisingly,
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
disc. But in fact,
Walker
produced some demos for
before the band signed with
TVT
(back when the group was known as
Crawlspace
). And even though
doesn't have a long resume when it comes to
, he works out well on
. 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,"
is far from a happy CD, but it's a compelling one -- perhaps too dark for some listeners, but compelling nonetheless -- and
continues to live up to its high standards throughout the band's fourth album. ~ Alex Henderson