ARTIST: Sevendust
TITLE: Next
LABEL: Winedark
GENRE: Hard Rock
BITRATE: 224kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 43min total
RELEASE DATE: 2005-10-11
RIP DATE: 2005-10-10

Track List
----------
01. Hero                            3:47
02. Ugly                            4:09
03. Pieces                          3:04
04. Silence                         3:59
05. This Life                       4:34
06. Failure                         3:46
07. See And Believe                 4:11
08. The Last Song                   3:51
09. Desertion                       3:19
10. Never                           4:04
11. Shadows In Red                  4:26

Release Notes:

The advance was *REAL* however there was a glitch on "Silence" at 0:18
and the disc was not a final master. Higher quality on the retail, so
here it is.

You?ve got to hand it to Sevendust. They have continued on now for
nearly a decade, and throughout that time, they have to be considered
one of the most consistently excellent bands out there. From the onset
to now, they?ve had their share of critical praise, have always
delivered in the live setting, and have always sold a good amount of
records each time out.

NEXT is as advertised - the next Sevendust record. It?s a little
heavier than their last output, SEASONS, but it?s definitely an
appealing Sevendust Record, as always. If you liked them before, you
are bound to like them now. Vocalist Lajon Witherspoon has weathered a
lot of personal adversity over the years, but never has let it
influence his mixture of clean and screaming vocals. On songs like
"Ugly", he showcases his crooning voice and mixes it well with the
rage of a soul drenched in pain. More than any other vocalist out
there, Witherspoon has used the "crooning-to-raging" style to build
momentum in songs effectively. As with Witherspoon, drummer Morgan
Rose provides another exceptional performance as well. His playing
style is somewhat traditional, although he mixes in a modern flair and
an interesting peppering of cymbal play into odd parts of songs. On
"Pieces", the song is taken over by Rose and new guitarist Sonny Mayo.

There is a new element to Sevendust is the previously mentioned Sonny
Mayo. Replacing Clint Lowery in the band, the ex-Snot, Hed (PE) and
Amen guitarist brings a crunchier sound to the mix than Lowery did. He
still plays what would be considered to be "traditional" Sevendust
riffs (as on "Silence"; a song that could have appeared on any
Sevendust album), but he?s heavied the band up a bit, which is a very
good addition to the sound.

They may never sell as many copies of records as some of the flashes
in the pan that come and go, but they are proving that consistent
excellence leads to longevity in a career. NEXT is exactly that - the
next Sevendust record. Like it?s predecessors, all of the songs are
solid, the presentation is excellent, and you leave it thinking,
"damn, those guys are good". The fact is, they are.