Sevendust "Cold Day Memory"

        Sevendust has always had a solid career, but Seasons seemed to be the swan song to the era of Corey Lowry. It was also the first record I listened to before listening to their earlier discography. Their Next album was a band trying to regain their footing after losing a key member, and irrerplaceable creative ally, of the band. They had some great songs like Silence and Failure. It was good, but it didn’t compare to the album that preceded it. When it came to album seven, they had proved they were the Alpha males, and that the line-up change would not dilute their potency. Some of the songs could have been said to sound redundant, but I beg to differ.  I am not clueless; just listen to songs like feed and burn to name a few. Chapter VII may have been filled with hope and sorrow, but it was my favorite album since the departure of Clint Lowery, and the swan song of Sonny Mayo before Clint returned. One of their most melodic, and features some nice surprises. But why does their newest record feel like a Cold Day Memory?                               They come raging as a lion with a “Splinter” in tow, shifts in rhythm would have boredom “Forever Dead.” While this song may sound like it’s driven by the drums, which it partially is, it has so much more to offer; from an even hookier chorus to the slightly twangy solo, to everything really. The first two songs must have been about the same toxic relationship, which is obviously “Unraveling.” What is interesting is that it can be something from a soap opera. “This broken world/Left me hopeless/ Everytime I pray/But nothing would change,” and right before the “Last Breath” is taken he can only hope the soul is saved; metaphorically committing suicide because he never found “That saving grace/That gave you the shelter/You needed for one more day.”  We heard that “Karma” is a b****, we just have to make sure that we aren’t, or else she will be even more cruel; sometimes bad things just happen whether we deserve it or not. This sounds like one of their angriest on the record so far, and I love that solo. What follows is a “Ride Insane” through a blender of several previous sevendust tunes. “The world doesn't always love you/But you never let that define you/Just have faith, we'll go on” may be one of the world’s “Confessions.” [Without Faith], and not even in a higher being, but the good of the human spirit may make it hard to survive.  A savior is needed, and the act of prayer is recurring throughout the album. Whether they come or not we know that before our last breath all there is left “Here and Now.” “The End is Coming” is sounding more ominous as it becomes closer to doomsday, but it might not occur if we make this world a “Better Place.” Even if they have their “Strong Arm Broken” they still end the record with a viable punch. Favorites: Splinter, Forever Dead, Karma, Confessions [Without Faith], Here and Now, and The End is Coming.