Seether Album Review

Published by Elaine Arthur on 1 June 2012

Turea Blyth takes a look at the Seether album for fans of Pearl Jame, Korn and Incubus, but comes away feeling like Seether have hijacked Nickleback’s sound and come back with an ‘All filler, no killer album.’

“Holding Onto Strings Better Left To Fray” is the new album from South African band Seether. Produced by Brendan O Brian (Pearl Jam, Korn, Incubus) this is the band’s fifth studio album – released in 2011 to positive reviews.

This however isn’t one of them.

This album sees the band’s music take a different turn in style and unfortunately that turn has meant the quality and originality Seether usually have has been lost, however commercially this has seen the band chart at their highest position in the US billboard Top 200 at number two. A more commercial sound has its benefits!

This album veers towards a mainstream Nickleback sound, no longer do we hear raw powerful “screaming” vocals from Shaun Morgan, lead singer, writer and lead guitarist. Instead these are replaced by predictable melodies that could be heard on any radio rock album.

Country Song is the first single off the album to be released and although it has a foot tapping melody influenced primarily from the Nashville surroundings the album was recorded in it lacks the anger and depth of songs on previous album “Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces”. The whole song mimics a country feel that seems almost forced in places and I cant help but feel it thinks it’s cooler than it actually is.

The lyrics are still of a high standard, both self critical and emotionally provoking – a quality Shaun Morgan brings to every album. Rasping tones shout out “Well I can’t stand to be with myself. This liberation seemingly rare. And I can’t stand the taste of your mouth, this sublimation’s out of my hands” on album track “Country Song”.

The rest of the album is not especially stand out. “Fur Cue” is probably the most like previous albums with roaring guitars and fierce vocals from Shaun and yet even here there are still sections of the song that are just too predictable and formulaic.

Track “No resolution” feels as if its borrowed a second hand tune from Guns and Roses – a song with little conviction and an identity crisis as it pulls from Seether’s past into what can only be as described as bland soft rock.

“Here and Now” is just awful, little substance and frankly an annoying tune. It sadly gets no better from here on in. “Fade Out”, “Roses” and “Down” feel like last minute fillers on this uninspiring album.

“Desire for Need” tries to pull back a harder rock edge – its riffs and its vibe generally more aggressive. It is one of the more stand out songs on a poor album from a band whose honest lyrics and singing style separated them from so many of their peers and yet even this song doesn’t save an otherwise disappointing album.

Seether’s trouble here is that the band go through an identity crisis with this record, they seem as unsure as we do which style of music this album truly promotes. Evidently trying to appeal to a wider mass audience has meant their originality, as a band has been lost.

Seether toured with Nickleback in 2009 and I can’t help but feel their musical influence rubbed off on this album, some songs could even actually be mistaken for Nickleback! Sadly this has meant that a once individual and brave band is now just one of many rock bands that sell out arenas with mediocre music.

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