There was a gap in music in 1997 that was begging to be filled. The Grammy winners for that year, Tracy Chapman "Give Me One Reason" (Best Rock Song) and Dave Matthews Band "So Much To Say" (Best Rock Vocal Group) proved that rock music was in desperate trouble. Korn, Rob Zombie, and Rage Against the Machine were forced to carry the world of metal on their shoulders.
What the world needed was an infusion of raw, kick-ass rock and roll, something to wash away the taste of hairband, something that didn't come packaged in flannel shirts and ripped jeans.
Enter Sevendust. Produced by the band themselves, this self-titled album release promised to not only shake up the world of metal, but to punch a hole in the lethargy that was threatening to overwhelm rock music.
The name alone defined a genre as yet untitled. They were hardcore, heavy metal, rock and roll, yet there was an underlying foundation of soulful R&B and a funk backbone that couldn't be denied. That foundation was what separated Sevendust from their contemporaries.
The album, like the band, was a combination of all of the music and influences that emanate throughout the heart of Atlanta. Sevendust had managed to take in everything that their hometown had to offer musically, five open vessels being filled by one of the most musically eclectic cities in the world, and spit it back out in a way that was totally in-your-face. The music was driven by metal. The lyrics were raw, brutally honest. The combination was mind-blowing. Their lives, their struggles; everything they loved and hated came pouring out in a gut-wrenching flood.
When Sevendust was first released there were many comparisons to Living Color, mainly due to the popularity of the song "Bitch", not an unexpected comparison, lead singer Lajon Witherspoon does sound very much like Corey Glover on that track. The combination of funk and pounding metal, along with the writhing, soulful vocals made it difficult for reviewers to do what they do best, compare and recommend.
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