Sevendust: Kill The Flaw review
Sevendust have been extremely busy lately, releasing a new studio album every year, starting with their mega heavy Black Out the Sun in 2013 and following it up with a return to their acoustic side Time Travelers & Bonfires in 2014.
Having just explored two very different extremes the band was unsure of what direction their newest album Kill the Flaw on their own 7Bros. Records should take. After careful consideration the band decided that sometimes the best way to move forward is to go back to the start where it all began.
That’s exactly what they did with Kill the Flaw, an album that digs deep into their roots stylistically. It was self-produced by the band at Architekt studios with engineer/mixer Mike Ferretti and was mastered by Andy VanDette.
The strident riffs and melodic interludes in tracks like “Silly Beast,” “Chop” and lead single “Thank You” are instantly and unmistakably Sevendust, while the hook in the chorus of “Letters” is without a doubt one of their most infectious to date.
Underpinned by Lajon Witherspoon & Morgan Rose’s soaring vocal melodies and John Connolly & Clint Lowery’s cascading solos, cuts like “Cease and Desist” and “Death Dance” will help redefine the accepted definitions of heavy.
While songs like “Not Today,” “Peace & Destruction” and “Torched” continue to confound expectations by being absurdly heavy, while at the same time courting the mainstream.
Elsewhere, “Forget” and title track “Kill the Flaw” are Herculean powerhouses that would have been right at home on the Home or Animosity albums.
Here’s the bottom line. For fans that have been hoping for an album as brilliant as their stunning self-titled debut, Home or Animosity, Kill the Flaw is the album you’ve been waiting for.
Rating: 9 out of 10.
-Eric Hunker