Sevendust
Truth Killer

Sevendust return after thirteen albums and thirty years of career behind them with the new work, “Truth Killer”.

The predecessor, “Blood&Stone”, released in the midst of a pandemic and acclaimed by critics, marked the end of the short but intense collaboration with Rise Records, which handed the baton to Napalm Records.

Produced by Michael “Elvis” Baskette (Alter Bridge, Trivium, Slash), an illustrious name in the metal scene, “Truth Killer” sees the light at the end of a scorching July, preceded by the release of the singles of the rite, which already boded well.

The opener “I Might Let The Devil Win” amazes and astonishes. It’s the track you don’t expect. Slow, sweet, guided by piano notes and the soulful voice of Lajon Whiterspoon, in the role of a crooner for the occasion. You don’t need to be open to every genre to admit how pleasant it is to listen to it multiple times before delving without haste into what we hoped would happen.

Yes, because it’s a pleasant deception, as the remaining eleven tracks are power and abrasion. The title track “Truth Killer”, along with “No Revolution”, “Sick Mouth”, “Everything”, and “Won’t Stop the Bleeding”, gives us a long glimpse into that King Midas past, with a decisive reference to the immortal ancestor albums “Home”,“Animosity”, and“Seasons”. Lajon does what he wants with octaves as usual, Morgan Rose strikes the snare and tom-toms frantically, embellishing it all with backing vocals, which have been customary since year zero of the band. The esteemed duo Connolly – Lowery is no less and showcases their usual awareness on the strings, partly thanks to the fuel injected by the latest releases with Projected, a side project born from the collaboration between John Connolly and Vinnie Hornsby, the band’s bassist.

“Holy Water” and “Leave Hell Behind” leave a bit of space for the synthesizer, softening the arrangements; if the first rightfully qualifies among the most engaging tracks of recent years, the second is no less, thanks to the reflective and melancholic atmosphere given by the piano notes.

The tracklist flows with great pleasure, and when this happens, we already know it’s a job well done. Social themes are tackled, from the condemnation of the lack of propensity for revolution in a society that deserves it, to the awareness of the unpredictability and arrogance of our existences. The voice of the latter argument is given by the beautiful ballad “Messenger”:

“We’re just the passenger

Living our arrogant lives

For all we know

Selfish and cynical

Killing the messenger

It’s all that we know”

“Superficial Drug”, the last single released before the album’s release, is among the more docile episodes but is very pleasant, especially for the syncopated rhythm, guided by Whiterspoon’s high pitch. A few sore notes, among the few that reach our ears from this work, are represented by “Love and Hate”, dragged out too long by the usual loop that has permeated part of the latest releases.

The closure of the circle, the double knot tied to a perfect fil rouge, is the closing “Fence”. In antithesis to the opening track, “Fence” is pure oxygen for those nostalgic for the first headbanging to the sound of Mr. Whiterspoon’s dreadlocks. A moshpit piece (there’s a review of mine dedicated to it), amidst old-school roars, riffs, and frenzied percussion.

Sevendust is one of the few bands happily surviving the short and thunderous wave of nu-metal. They never got lost and never wasted time. And if after all these years they manage to churn out twelve tracks like these, giving the impression of not wanting to give up an inch, it means that the future can only hold more satisfactions for them.