Every once in a while there’s an artist that, despite its consistency and longevity, somehow always stays relatively under the radar. Sevendust is one of those artists. The Atlanta alternative metallers have been around since 1994 and have released nearly a dozen full-length studio records, and yet they’ve never quite made it to the level of notoriety of some of their younger peers. The mystery of why hard rock’s dark horses have remained that way may never be solved, but the quintet continues to churn out tunes, the latest collection of such tunes being Kill The Flaw, which just released on October 2nd.
The brief piano introduction sets a resounding precedent for the record, and before long the pummeling drum cadence is in full force on “Thank You.” The keys throughout the song add a nice touch as well – perfectly complementary to the rest of the track’s soundscape. The riffing head-banger “Death Dance” is as ferocious as they come, and somehow the bridge is even more ferocious. Needless to say, “Death Dance” is definitely the heaviest on the record, and likely among the heaviest songs the band has ever written. “Forget” follows in a similar vein, and although the only part that stands out is the intensified riff at the end, it’s a solid track nonetheless. “Letters” is a typical power-ballad before “Cease and Desist” picks the pace back up once again, although it doesn’t pack quite as much punch as the others.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04eYGRtHcQQ[/youtube]
“Not Today,” on the other hand, makes up for any intensity “Cease and Desist” is lacking. This blistering tune is among the album’s highlights. Meanwhile, the instrumental bridge in “Chop” pushes an otherwise-average song over the top. “Kill The Flaw” sounds like it was taken straight off 2013’s Black Out The Sun, the quintet’s last studio LP, and while it’s not too bad overall, unfortunately the title is the only way to know that “Kill The Flaw” is from their latest. The searing riffage continues on “Silly Beast,” which harkens back to “Forget” in more ways than one. The penultimate song on Kill The Flaw, “Peace and Destruction,” is both upbeat and fierce, and not surprisingly, one of the album’s stronger tunes. “Torched” is a good way to close out the record; even if it is somewhat of an abrupt ending, it serves its purpose well.
Kill The Flaw is yet another solid effort from the hard rock veterans. It may not be groundbreaking, but to be fair, Sevendust has never really been associated with that term. No, these Atlanta natives are in good shape right where they’re at.
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