A Chapter You Won't Be Able to Put Down

Sevendust have been known for quite a while as a tenacious, hardworking metal band. That description is more apt than ever, as they recently released their seventh album in eleven years, this time only 13 months after the release of its predecessor. Listening to Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow, however, you'd never know how quickly they worked on this album. Rather than sounding rushed, Chapter VII is a well-crafted effort and one of the band's best and most diverse efforts in years.

Their previous release, 2007's Alpha, was a ferocious package featuring tons of aggressive metal and a tiny bit of experimentation. This time around, Sevendust have decided to experiment a bit more by enlisting guest musicians, exploring more soft and melodic styles, and even blending in some electronic sounds. Also, Morgan Rose has toned down his backing screams a bit, letting frontman Lajon Witherspoon shine even more. All this comes together with the trademark Sevendust sound to create another hard-hitting album only with more diversity.

Sevendust has a little help from their friends on this album. The two title tracks feature work from Alter Bridge musicians: Mark Tremonti provides a sweet guitar solo on the soft-to-raging "Hope," and Myles Kennedy lends his voice to the powerful "Sorrow." If being on American Idol is a cred-killer for rockers, performing with Sevendust is a good way to build that credibility back up. I hadn't heard much of Chris Daughtry before, so I actually thought it was the Shinedown singer on "The Past" before I looked it up. Daughtry has a good voice and plays off Lajon well, adding a little extra soul to this moving ballad.

Even with other people stepping in for a bit, that classic Sevendust sound is certainly not lost on Chapter VII. "Enough" is an excellent hard rocker that follows the traditional 7D style of heavy, crushing riffs with Lajon switching up his vocals between growling verses and a melodic but very energetic chorus. This album isn't as entirely raw and loud as the last couple of albums, but it still shows that Sevendust is a rough and tumble metal band after all these years.

Mixed in with that familiar sound are new elements to freshen things up. The album begins with an intimidating, industrial-style intro that bleeds into "Inside," and "Fear" has a similar but softer intro. More electronic elements enhance parts of the otherwise heavy and catchy "Scapegoat," the constantly style-shifting "Lifeless," and the bludgeoning "Contradiction," which loudly proclaims "I love the taste of conflict!" The album ends with "Walk Away," a fun, up-tempo number that yields to a soft outro, much like the way Alpha closed out. These electronic pieces are cool and give the album its own distinct sound, but they also tend to diminish the momentum. Luckily, the songs generally have enough energy to get things rolling again quickly.

The band also delivers one of their most addictive songs in a while in the form of "Prodigal Son." It starts like a normal, mid-tempo Sevendust track before a killer chorus kicks in, one that you can't help but smile and sing along with as you bang your head reach for the volume button. Their last two albums were mostly all about beating you upside the dome, so "Prodigal Son" is a welcome return to a style not entirely heard from Sevendust since 2003's Seasons.

Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow is another tremendous effort from Sevendust. They maintain the aggressive sound that their devoted fanbase loves, but here they also try new things with success. This album certainly would be easier for new fans to get into, but it will not disappoint the longtime ones. For a heavy but more mature-sounding Sevendust, pick up this album and listen as they write a new chapter in their excellent history.

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