Seether - Poison the Parish (Album Review)
SEETHER – Poison the Parish
Released: 12th May, 2017
SEETHER Line up:
Shaun Morgan - vocals/ guitar
Clint Lowery – lead guitar
Dale Stewart – bass
John Humphrey – drums
SEETHER online:
The seventh studio album from South Africa’s own hard rock titans, Seether is out May 12th, Poison the Parish, a 12-track punchy melodic and powerful return and also the first Seether album to be produced entirely by singer/song writer, Shaun Morgan. To be honest I haven’t paid much attention to these guys, thinking they were too much mainstream and not enough Alice In Chains/Godsmack/Nirvana whom they purported to be inspired by. My bad. These guys simply rock. My first comparison that came to mind was the band, Chevelle, a band very close to my heart and consequently I’ll be busy burying my head deep into the Seether discography in the coming months. In fact, a quick check of YouTube of these guys and the Kurt Cobain similarities are eerie, just listen to this Nirvana cover live.
So what makes Seether come alive on Posion the Parish? For a starters, Sevendust’s Clint Lowery lends himself to recording the lead guitars, and you can definitely feel his strong axe work throughout and no doubt why most media attention on the new album has centred around a ‘heavier’ album for Seether.
Kicking off with ‘Stoke the Fire’, these heavier guitars and beefy production open up the album with a sledgehammer before toning back to incorporate Shaun Morgan’s all encompassing vocal performance. ‘Betray and Degrade’ continues, tempting the audience with a short Morgan taster before launching into more Lowery heaviness. It’s a trait that continues throughout the album as the band decipher its best way to allow Lowery's guitar sets into Morgan’s tones, a task the band handle with aplomb.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnlwqqy4XB4
‘Something Else’ brings with it a Foo Fighters feel, especially when Morgan crashes into the chorus all Grohl-like, “Tell me how you hate, tell me how you fake it”. Another similar ‘Foo, influenced track hollers out later with, ‘Against the Wall’. It’s no wonder these guys continue to sell thousands of records around the globe. It’s a formula enjoyed by the masses. ‘I’ll Survive’ integrates acoustic guitars into the mix before again opening up into something more evolved including a nice, albeit brief, solo.
Heading further into the album, it begins to get darker, more laden with guitar hooks. ‘Saviours’ and ‘Nothing Left’ hit those talked about weighty moments, fans of Godsmack and Chevelle will likely appreciate these tracks. One of the highlights of the album is the song, ‘Emotionless’. The longest track on Poison the Parish, it blends Morgan’s vocals into a psychedelic ‘Planet Caravan’ vibe before those Lowery cuts hammer down once more and the band follow suit. Dale Stewart’s hefty bass lines finally making inroads.
Concluding with ‘Sell My Soul’, with the band returning to some acoustic storytelling, “Is it too late for me to sell my soul unto the devil? Is it too late for me to pray to god to keep you alive”, Morgan wails as he relays another personal account. Poison the Parish, is as solid as they come in terms of hard rock genre music. Heavy when it wants, always melodic, some great guitars and vocals and stadium anthems by the handful. If you’re into any of the band’s I’ve mentioned in this review, you’ll love this album.
Tracklist;
Stoke the Fire
Betray and Degrade
Something Else
I'll Survive
Let You Down
Against the Wall
Let Me Heal
Saviours
Nothing Left
Count Me Out
Emotionless
Sell My Soul
Rating 8/10
Pre-Order Poison the Parish here
Review by @plugga73
