Review Summary: Makes me think twice
Coming off of the more experimental and slightly more melodic
Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces, Seether were in an interesting spot. They had experimented with post-grunge, alternative metal, and haunting alternative rock, each time succeeding and growing in some way shape or form. And though FBINS was slightly toned down from
Karma & Effect, it wasn’t the Nirvana-esque first outing.
Holding Onto Strings Better Left To Fray is a continuation of toning down while still (somewhat) retaining the classic Seether edge and adding in some new elements along the way, though it doesn’t always work.
Indeed, Seether are back to their
Disclaimer roots in terms of the sonic force, though it’s not readily apparent at first. “Fur Cue” tears into the listener with a blunt, no frills guitar riff before moving into a swaying, sing/scream verse. This part could’ve been heard on
Karma & Effect and doesn’t throw the listener off too much, but it’s the chorus and bridge that really come as a surprise. Shaun shrugs off the dark rasp of previous albums to cleanly soar in the chorus (with a slight scream at the end), and the bridge, rather than the scream-wrecked thrashiness of previous openers, instead is dominated by the haunting lead riff. It’s a different “heavy track” for the group that shows the stylistic difference of the rest of the album. “No Resolution” is a hard hitting, southern-rock tinged number led by a catchy chorus, bruising riffs, and even some energizing gang vocals that contrast with the tempered verses quite well. The main riff of “Down” is one of Seether’s best and saves the song from being late album filler, while “Desire For Need” is an angsty, riff-driven number that reaches back to K&E and is one of the better tracks of the record due to darker lyrics, grittier vocals, the drum beat, and of course the riffs.
Breakthrough single “Country Song” is one of the most diverse Seether experiments yet, and while they haven’t gone full “honkey-tonk”, the “stomp” beat, twangy guitar riff and solo, and the swagger found in Shaun’s vocals do have a country element. The chorus does bring back the distortion and grit for those worried, but this is honestly an awesome track that will have you pumping your fist and singing along. “Roses” is another trip down Experiment Lane, as the octave-dominated main riff, the keyboard/electronic influence, and the “epic” chorus give off the vibe of a heavier Muse. Rather than just come off as a copy, though, this song is quite immersive and will drag you in quickly.
Lyrically, the record predominantly focuses on fighting inner demons or giving into them. which I’m pretty much a sucker for so they’ve got me there. However, there are some extremely cringey moments that don’t feel like Seether at all, such as “Here And Now” and “Tonight”. There’s also too many ballads that don’t near reach the caliber of a track like “Fine Again” and some copy-cat heavy stuff that simply fills in the record.
Many herald this as Seether’s worst record, and while I would agree, it’s by no means bad. There are some weaker moments and ultimately forgettable ones, but tracks like “Country Song” and “No Resolution” show a different side of Seether at its best. Those tracks are the ones worth looking into, but the rest of these are skippable.
