Review Summary: Sevendust has arrived
Kill The Flaw was a beast of an album, Sevendust at their finest. But to kill a goliath you need to throw more stones, and Sevendust are back again chucking boulders. From the opening track fears of Sevendust watering down their style disappear. Dirty is a tight track with heavy riffs, a blistering guitar solo, and faultless harmonies. The rest of the album follows correspondingly. There are portions where they mellow out (especially in Not Original) but these are a welcome change of pace to an otherwise exquisite sonic assault. All I See Is War grips you from the start and doesn’t let go. The first four tracks are brutal. On a side note, it’s great hearing the return of Morgan’s Animosity-era screams.
It’s hard to pick a favourite on this album. It plays out like some greatest hits, Sevendust have duplicated the spirit of their best material. Try Unforgiven, a brutal song sounding like old Sevendust. You’ll find no mistaken identity in this collection of songs, the band is intensely focused on giving you what you paid for: Sevendust, not some other band. Lajon’s strong vocal presence continues to amaze and makes the whole thing better than a band like Breaking Benjamin could ever hope for. Shots fired. Melody after melody come sweeping in like a delicious IPA drink (or whatever drink appeals to you), and one realization enters - All I See Is War is just mindblowing.
There are no holes in this vessel, just a well-written and produced album. The songs can be crushing and beautiful at the same time (best example: Risen). The heaviness here is typical but the melodies are especially powerful here, given a tenacious spotlight. We still get slammers like The Truth but this is a more matured and polished band than before. Age has only made this band better, and let’s hope they continue to progress.
