Review Summary: Break out the scalpel...
Up to this point, Seether had released two strong records, and had shown growth between them. They got heavier and darker, more experimental, and ultimately all the better for it. Indeed, many fans herald
Karma And Effect as the band’s best record to date. So what would they do between
Karma and third effort
Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces?
Opener “Like Suicide” is much more melodic than predecessor “Because Of Me”, but that’s not a bad thing. Shaun sounds pissed off and angsty, showing off both his gritty singing voice and absolutely vicious screams, there’s a great dynamic of clean and dirty guitar riffs, and even the drums end up standing out. Lyrically, the song is actually fairly deep for Seether, describing frustration at an unhealthy relationship and desire for the redundancy to end. “Fake It”, probably the most well-known Seether tune, follows, and shows off quiet/loud dynamics, an eerie guitar solo mixed in with heavy/light chords, and an uncannily catchy chorus. This is one of many Seether tracks that displays what they are best at: heavy, no frills alternative metal with some post-grunge influences and anthemic choruses. The detuned bass line of “Fallen” serves to rope in the listener before a glaring Drop C riff and pounding drums drop in, then to a swaggering, almost dancy verse that displays Seether’s ability to get a little poppy while retaining a dark, gritty heaviness. This track calls to mind a more matured “Gasoline” with its effective use of satire and unmistakable guitar riff. “6 Gun Quota” is propelled by a punky drum beat and a lighter, more restrained performance (at times) from Shaun and is a pure adrenaline rush of a rocker. “Walk Away From The Sun” is one of the best Seether ballads to date: it shows off fun acoustic guitar riffs, decent falsetto vocals, and even a slight electronic backdrop. Not to mention the hooky verses.
Then we come to one of Seether’s greatest songs of all time: “No Jesus Christ”. It’s an interesting track, because rather than the usual Seether formula of coming in hard and fast, then leaving without a trace, the song builds slowly and picks up small elements along the way. From the catchy bass line to the menacing guitar riff to even the claps, we are then greeted with a raucous, riffy chorus backing Shaun’s screams. He also builds from slowly but snarkily singing to the fierce growls, and shows off a great range throughout this dynamic, quiet/loud track. Lyrically, it’s basically a “I won’t take sh*t from you” track, but these lyrics fit so well. Later in the album, Seether takes a cue from Disturbed and amps up the classic “Careless Whisper”. It’s a great cover and carries a fair bit of emotion, especially in Shaun’s vocals. Finally, the instantly recognizable main riff will have this cover stuck in your head for days.
Despite all this, there’s a good bit of filler, and after the powerhouse that was K&E, this comes off as slightly lazy and does hold the album back.This effort definitely could’ve been shortened and trimmed, but don’t let that scare you. FBINS is an enjoyable album that any alternative metal fan would love to have in their catalog.
