martindavey87 Sevendust have always been one of those bands that you just have to respect for their sheer tenacity and persistence. Their self-titled debut, released in 1997, came at a time when metal was pretty much dead to mainstream audiences. All the big names had been relegated to smaller venues and arenas, while bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit were helping build up the nu metal subgenre that was still a couple of years from truly exploding worldwide.

With that said, Sevendust's debut album tends to just quietly sit there in the background. It wasn't groundbreaking, or genre-defining, nor does it really make much noise or impact. It's just there. Mixing elements of nu metal, groove metal, hardcore music and some (sort of) rapping, it's a bit of a mess and not overly exciting.

The band will go on to write better things, but for the most part the riffs here just tend to plod along with about as much enthusiasm as a cow in an abattoir. Lajon Witherspoon's vocals are mostly flat and tend to fit in with the music awkwardly. There's just not a lot here that resonates with me.

If I had to pick out any highlights though, the songs 'Black' (easily the best of the album), 'Terminator' and 'Speak' are all alright. They're not really all that memorable though, and other than popping up on any compilations, I'm not likely to go back to them very often.

Overall, 'Sevendust' is a pretty disappointing album by a band who will go on to garner a small cult following. The foundations are certainly there, with the band laying down a blueprint for where they're going, but otherwise, this is a fairly unremarkable debut.

Unitron Sevendust is, in my opinion, one of the most consistent yet sadly forgotten bands out there. They blasted onto the metal scene in 1997 with their self-titled debut, which I think is both their best album and an underrated groove metal classic.

Despite the 90's being the age of groove metal, 1997 was somewhat of a low point with only Grip Inc. being the only groove metal band to really release a notable album apart from Sevendust. Sevendust's debut is one of those surprise masterpieces that wakes up a seemingly dying scene, but unfortunately this is one that went more or less unnoticed.

The thing that sets Sevendust's debut apart from other groove metal bands, is their variation. They mix crushing thrash and groovy riffs reminiscent of Chaos A.D.-era Sepultura with the dark melody of bands like Alice in Chains. Throw in a bit of industrial in the vein of Varga, and you got an idea of the sound on here. Songs like "Terminator" and the absolutely crushing "Born to Die", deliver the pure groove, while "Bitch" and "My Ruin" combine the groovy riffs with bittersweet melodies. "Too Close to Hate" begins with haunting ambiance before beating you over the head with punishing riffs.

Lajon Witherspoon has a very powerful voice, being able to sing beautifully as well as deliver gruff barks with great conviction. Guitarists Clint Lowery and John Connolly as well can contrast the clean and the rough. Just take a listen to "Bitch" especially, and the contrast between melodic vocals and acoustics and gruff vocals and crunching guitar works very well. The production is quite different from how it would sound on later releases from the band, having really raw quality which I think the album benefits from.

A sadly underrated album, and a truly stellar debut. If you want a perfect blend of groove and alternative metal, look no further than this killer classic. Hope you found this review helpful, feel free to comment!