Rock music is fast convincing me that it’s akin to buses, you wait for ages etc etc. There is no surprise in a clutch of bands releasing similar sounding material (NWOBHM? Grunge?) but hearing bands that have been knocking about for years releasing contemporary and relevant stuff is always good news.

There just seems to be a juggernaut full of rock/metal hitting the stores each week and as far as my ears are concerned much of it is worth beg, borrow or stealing to hear. 

What of Next? Sevendust have been pootling around the fringes of metaldom for a decade without really leaving too many skidmarks on our highways. Well known across the pond but with limited exposure on the enlightened side of the world, Next is their latest attempt to conquer the continent of rock.

Chuggin guitars, dual geezer vocals, angst ridden lyrics, it could be nu-metal Linkin Park stylee. Opening track Hero certainly uses the Park as a reference point and there are passing glances to them all over this CD. But that’s to miss the point, as there are Priest guitar breaks, touches of Slipknot in Duality form and even Evanescence.

To be fair non of it is ground breaking in itself, all derivative stuff, but there is nothing wrong with having influences and incorporating them in your sound.

It’s slickly produced with the vocals high in the mix and that dumpy thud drum sound that’s so in at the moment and all glistening with an unmistakable US veneer. See and Believe is a prime example, shouty-along chorus, killer riff, it just lacks a little conviction. The Last Song tries hard to be the bastard son of LP/SOAD without the humour and nearly makes it. Album closer Shadows in Red is the obligatory ballad replete with acoustic guitar and heart wrenching lyrics, get your lighters out for the lads!

In short I would rather listen to this than any old pants currently played on any commercial radio station, it sounds good in the background and pleasant when you switch it up when you recognize a bit. It’s just the bit you recognize usually sounds like somebody else whose bigger (and better?). 

Next is an easy album to like, two plays and you get the vibe with anthemic choruses and neat lead breaks. I just feel it’s a little too calculated, a little too produced and that they could have been inspired to meld all their influences into something more original and innovative. However, this is a good record, just not a great one. So borrow it or buy it, just don’t steal for it.

Let us know your views on 'Next'

Track List

Hero
Ugly
Pieces
Silence
This Life
Failure
See and Believe
Last Song
Desertion
Never
Shadows in Red

Line Up

Lajon - Vocals
John - Guitar
Sonny - Guitar
Vince - Bass
Morgan - Drums