On My Playlist: Top 5 Sevendust songs

Sevendust is one of the pioneers of the American hard rock and nu-metal scene with its eclectic mix of soulful, aggressive sounds and its honest lyrics.
The band has released numerous succ- essful records and continues to make a bold statement with its sound evolving with each record.
Sevendust has a signature sound that it has kept to varying degrees. Its newest album has been met with success and the first track on this list comes from this album. The band currently consists of Vince Hornsby – bass, Morgan Rose – drums, John Connolly – rhythm guitar, Lajon Witherspoon – lead vocals and Clint Lowery – lead guitar, backing vocals (1994–2004, 2008–present.)
5. Dirty
The band returns to form with the first single from their album, All I See Is War, with a track that sees the signature pacing, tempos and mixture of aggression and melody coming to the fore.
The verses have some great palm-muted guitar to build the song up before the chorus hits with a great chugging rhythm from both guitarists: ‘I never knew what you needed. I just know I’m wrong. I know it’s hard for you to believe. I’m gonna die whole. Watch the hate you feed. Hold your own,’ sings Witherspoon.
The tom beat before the bridge kicks in is one of my favourite parts before Lowery hits out a terrific solo to keep the song really interesting. Like a fine wine, Sevendust shows that they have aged well and continue to make inspiring hard-hitting music.

4. Driven
This song from their acclaimed 2007 album, Alpha, is one of the band’s most aggressive tracks. It focuses on the need to follow your dreams and be driven in everything you do – even when you have to go through difficult times when accepting failures. Witherspoon’s melodic clean vocals in the chorus are perfectly balanced with his screams in the verses and the bridge and the song’s impressive guitar passages with dual effects adds something extra to the song. The main riff is also a strong aspect of the song and the outro is pure aggression as Witherspoon screams at full tilt.

3. Denial
This is one of Sevendust’s older and most punishing tracks with stop-start riffs and great, unclean backing vocals from Rose that fits the song’s structure to a tee when paired with Witherspoon’s crooning.
Witherspoon’s range in this song is brilliant and he mixes it up nicely with aggressive, soulful vocals. The nu-metal influence in this song is clear, with the lead and rhythm guitar from Connolly and Lowery bouncing off each other in a hard-hitting bridge. This song focuses on when relationships go bad because of one person’s blatant denial of events.

2. Enemy
If you have never heard this song, you must have been living under a rock – it was one of 2003’s biggest hits. With its aggression and relatable fight-like lyrics, it was the perfect soundtrack for the young, angst-filled teenagers of the era.
‘So when you fall to the ground and finally get back to reality No one at all is around. So tell me, how does it feel to be the enemy?’ sings Witherspoon in one of the band’s most memorable choruses.
The intro starts with low, detuned guitars creating the perfect opening riff before Witherspoon stars with a rap-like verse that hits you right in the face before shifting to cleaner vocals in the chorus.
The verses are the best part of the song with their tenacity and delivery being on another level.
The bridge is also creatively done with some interesting dissonant chords used to compliment the chugging, palm-muted rhythm guitars. A really bouncy, energetic song with some brilliant melodies thrown in to mould the track into something special.

1. Praise
This is one of my favourite Sevendust songs for a number of reasons. The main guitar riff is powerful and catchy and the opening, slow-paced verse works perfectly before the substance-filled pre-chorus hits with great co-vocal work from Witherspoon and Rose.
The chorus is also a highlight with lyrics that create a standpoint of defiance: ‘See, I’m not what you think. I’m the one who’ll be what you never thought would be nothing.’
The bridge section is also interesting, with clean guitar effects creating a dreamlike mood that slows the pace before it ends with a whirlwind scream of ‘why!’ from both Witherspoon and Rose.