Seether

Isolate and Medicate

Shaun Morgan – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar

Dale Stewart – bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals

John Humphrey – drums

            Seether was formed in 1999, hailing from Pretoria, South Africa. They began as Saron Gas, but later renamed the band Seether in 2002. There first release was an independent album under their first name in 2000. Their major debut hit stores in 2002. Disclaimer featured hits like “Fine Again,” “Driven Under,” and “Gasoline.” After touring with Evanescense to support the album the band had thoughts of hitting the studio once again, but instead the original album was remixed and re-mastered. Disclaimer II featured new tracks to the addition of the original release. In 2005 the band finally was able to hit the stores with their newest album. Karma and Effect produced three singles with “Remedy” hitting #1. In 2006 the band released an amazing CD/DVD titled One Cold Night, which was recorded in Philadelphia. The next album arrived in late 2007 and debuted at number 9. Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces included the first single “Fake It” and “Rise Above This.” This album also did well on the charts. After a lot of touring and tracks being used as theme tracks the band headed to Nashville to begin work their next release. Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray hit stores in May 2011. The album did extremely well and lead to a compilation album that landed in 2013. The very next year the band hit stores with their latest release Isolate and Medicate. The album which was released in July features 10 tracks and gets things going with “See You At The Bottom.”  The track opens the album with a huge and intro. The tune has vocals flying all over the place while the music drives the track with an attitude. The screams that they place in the tracks, although they don’t last long, are a little distracting. However, with that said you should expect some on a Seether record. “Same Damn Life” is an upbeat track with the some goofy vocals, but they grab your attention. It’s a fun little number with clear vocals on top of the goofy ones mentioned before. The music flirts back and forth with heavy/serious and light/fun. The track is definitely catchy. The lyrics just roll off their tongues. “Words As Weapons” begins extremely weird before some music comes in for a short intro section. The vocals come back in with what turns out to be some of the most impactful lyrics you might ever read/hear. That is one thing Seether always seems to offer up, meaningful lyrics and this track is no exception. You will fall in love with this track. It not only has those vocals to offer, but the music and vocals are among the best. “My Disaster” slows the album down a little with a guitar lead number. The tempo is lower and volume is lower. The track still hits hard and is heavy; it just does it in a softer way. The lyrics roll off Shaun’s tongue with ease; however I feel that this one will get lost in the shuffle. “Crash” slows the album down a lot. The music is light and fluffy while the vocals are clam and soft. It’s a nice change of pace, but it really doesn’t excite you much. “Suffer It All” has vocals flying all over the place. The tempo of the track is fast which moves the tune along but, there are some slower spots in there as well. The vocals aren’t too bad and the music just does its thing. I do think however that the track will get lost among the others. “Watch Me Drown” is a lighter sounding track with catchy tunes and great vocals. The lyrics are also something that you can get into. You can get into this number very easily and how some fun with it. This is a track that would be a nice change up during a live show. “Nobody Praying For Me” slows the album down once; the vocals are all over the place once again. They also run through the lyrics. They don’t really stop for a breath at all. I really dug this number although there are times where you can’t understand all the lyrics. “Keep The Dogs At Bay” gives up a nice little intro that you actually hear a few times. The track tricks along with a solid beat and great vocals once again. It’s just something about Shaun’s voice that keeps you coming back. “Save Today” ends the record on a slow note. The tune has clear vocals and a decent vibe, but it really doesn’t stick. The music offers up some nice sounds as well, ones that you haven’t heard before. Overall this is a decent release. It offers up great vocals throughout the album with some added flavor of backing vocals. The tunes are solid as usual for a Seether album. What stands out the must besides the vibes are the lyrics. Mr. Morgan has a knack of using his words to inspire the listeners. This record is no exception. There are several tracks that have it all, while there is a few that are just decent.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Tracks to Watch:

Words As Weapons, Watch Me Down, Save Today

Track List:

1. See You At The Bottom
2. Same Damn Life
3. Words As Weapons
4. My Disaster
5. Crash
6. Suffer It All
7. Watch Me Drown
8. Nobody Praying For Me
9. Keep The Dogs At Bay
10. Save Today

Website (s):  www.seether.com