•
Rating: Seether is the only African post-grunge band of a certain level, which alone is quite controversial. In reality, the South African trio has very little to share with the black continent; all three members are of British or American origin, and the band has spent much time on tour with groups like Breaking Benjamin and 3 Doors Down, distinctly American-style artists.
After experimenting with various branches of post-grunge in their previous works, especially in "Disclaimer" and "Karma Effect," their day of 'blessing of the Money God' has also arrived. Indeed, the latest "Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces" features a much more pronounced radio-friendly structure compared to previous works. The band's leader, Shaun Morgan, also has a VIP past, as he is the ex-partner of Amy Lee (Evanescence), who blatantly dedicated "Call Me When You're Sober" to him after the breakup, given the ongoing issues S. Morgan had with alcohol, which partially played an important role in Seether's own career.
Returning to the album, the first track "Like Suicide" is a good start. Of course, the hyper-melodic chorus (the dominant factor of the album) is not missing, nor are screams thrown in almost randomly and respectfully alternative guitars. "Fake It", as you might imply, is the radio single, a springboard for the CD. Practically a constant presence at least 12-13 times a day on Virgin Radio, the video is a response to the aforementioned ex, A. Lee, with him in a plane accompanied by champagne and beautiful women (I would add lucky him), the guitars and vocal base go into a loop and are memorable after just a couple of listens (therefore Virgin, enough now), while the lyrics seem to be ironically dedicated to the ex and also to our 'Good God'.
Anti-Christian irony is also present in "No Jesus Christ", perhaps one of the few tracks that most refers to the band's alternative grunge past, over 7 minutes of song that follows the previous "Rise Above This", the second single from the album which has an even more distinctly pop-rock sound than the other tracks. The adrenaline-filled "Fallen" is excellent, noteworthy also is the tonic "FMLYHM" (an acronym for 'Fuck Me Like You Hate Me') and "Don't Believe" where S. Morgan's vocal cords make their mark. In the mentioned piece, the melancholic style of Staind, another band that emerged during the (fashionable) explosion of post-grunge, is heavily present.
In conclusion, "Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces" is a highly listenable and well-played CD, but it doesn't bring anything new to the already worn-out alternative rock world of recent years except for a couple of radio hits and a couple of ballads. S. Morgan seems overall in good shape after the dark period due to alcohol; in short, it seems that the ghosts of the failed relationship are now distant, almost as much as their connection to their land of origin. I give 7 to the CD, rounded down to 3 stars, because although appreciable from a vocal standpoint, it seems written in music and lyrics with lightness, with too much carefreeness and sobriety (excuse the irony).
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Fake It (03:13)
Who's to know if your soul will fade at all?
The one you sold to fool the world
You lost your self esteem along the way, yeah
Good god, you're coming up with reasons
Good god, you're dragging it out
Good god, it's the changing of the seasons
I feel so raped, so follow me down
Just fake it if you're out of direction
Fake it if you don't belong here
Fake it if you feel like infection
Whoa, you're such a fucking hypocrite
You used to know that the lies won't hide your flaws
No sense in hiding all of yours
You gave up on your dreams along the way, yeah
Good god, you're coming up with reasons
Good god, you're dragging it out
Good god, it's the changing of the seasons
I feel so raped, so follow me down
Just fake it if your out of direction
Fake it if you don't belong here
Fake it if you feel like infection
Whoa, you're such a fucking hypocrite
Whoa, whoa, whoa
[guitar solo]
I can fake with the best of anyone
I can fake with the best of them all
I can fake with the best of anyone
I can fake it all
Who's to know if your soul will fade at all
The one you sold to fool the world
You lost your self esteem along the way
Good god, you're coming up with reasons
Good god, you're dragging it out
Good god, it's the changing of the seasons
I feel so raped, man, follow me down
Just fake it if you're out of direction
Fake it if you don't belong here
Fake it if you feel like infection
Whoa, you're such a fucking hypocrite
Fake it if you're out of direction
Fake it if you don't belong here
Fake it if you feel like infection
Whoa, you're such a fucking hypocrite
Loading comments slowly
