In late 2006, Sevendust released their sixth record, Alpha. Alpha was an extremely angry record that was supposed to rile up old-school Sevendust fans, and prove to them that they still remember how to get down and dirty.
Only a year later, the mighty Sevendust are gearing up to release their seventh album, Chapter VII, Hope and Sorrow. Hope and Sorrow is more dynamic, both musically and emotionally than their two previous efforts. The record from top to bottom flows brilliantly, and features cameo appearances by prodigal guitarist, Mark Tremonti of AlterBridge (“Hope”), as well as singer Miles Kennedy, also of AlterBridge (“Sorrow”), and the young talent of Chris Daughtry (“The Past”). All of whom provide a unique perspective to the always ugly world of Sevendust.
Here’s what Sevendust drummer, Morgan Rose, had to say in regards to the band’s new, driving record.
UG: This record clearly shows a different side of Sevendust. As Alpha was full of angst and screaming, Chapter VII features more singing, more melody, and a generally darker, more melancholy side of Sevendust. What inspired the emotions on this album?
MR: Well, lets see. On the last record there were a ton of negative things going on in my life. From the divorce to my grandfather dying to my arrest and my father being put behind bars... etc., etc. It was a tough time and I personally wore that record lyrically on my sleeve for the world to see. On this record, things had been much mellower. Things just work themselves out - whether it's the way you want them to or not - sometimes good, sometimes bad. That's life and that's what happened. Some things turned out better than others and that's where the diverse topics came from, some hope, some sorrrow. Haha.
Almost every track on this album runs seamlessly with the next. How did the idea for smooth transitions come about?
I’d been wanting to do that for a while, kinda like we are live: no time for anyone to boo, just keep movin. It seemed to set a vibe for the record to make it seamless, making it more like a journey from song to song.
There are some unique and biting guitar tones on this record. How long did it take you to find the right tones and what are some of your favorite examples of where the guitar shines on this record?
John would give a more detailed answer, but I’ll keep it simple. For me, it was the new 5150. I called up Matty Bruck (Eddie Van Halen's assistant) and asked if Eddie could make a call and get us one quick! The call was made and the amp rocked! We used it mostly on over dubs, but we loved it. As far as the mains go, John was basically using the Randall RM100. Actually both of them used that amp (with us setting Sonny up with a dual rectifier every now and again). I think the tones came out fantastic. It didn't take too long to dial them in and that's always a good thing. I can't stand sitting and listening to different guitar amps for 6 hours straight trying to find a tone, even though sometimes that's how it works. There are too many moments for me to pick my favorite...ok scapegoat.
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| "On this record, things had been much mellower." |
Who did all of the synth programming between songs? Was it logic? Reason?
Actually we had two guys working on the programming for the record, Travis Danials and Reagan Wexler, who is my drum tech as well. Both had a different feel about them so it worked with the different qualities with the record. I do believe they used both reason and logic.
There are some interesting cameos on this record. How did you hook up with Chris Daughtry and the guys in AlterBridge? Who approached whom?
As far as Chris Daughtry goes, we've been friends for a while. Before we went in to write, I had asked him if I had a song that would work for him if he would be into it, and he said, “absolutely!” I told sonny to write something a little mellower and darker on an acoustic guitar and then John and I took what he had and modified it a bit. I sang a chorus and said, that's Chris all over that! With Miles [Kenedy], it was a little different. We were a ways down the recording process and Chris was already done. John made the call, Miles heard the track and was into it, so we sent him the track and he nailed it.
Chapter VII as a whole seems like a much more cohesive record and seems more thoroughly produced than Alpha and Next. Who played the “producer” roll on this album, and what sort of things did you look for and add while producing the record?
John, Shawn Grove and I were enthralled in this record. We had a vision, threw it in the toilet, found another vision, tossed that, and kept moving forward. I can now say it was as confusing a record as we've ever made. John came to me one day and asked, "What kinda record are we writing here?" I don't know where the cohesiveness came from, i just know that we weren't always on the same page, but we ended up there.
This album features more hooks in the songs, strings, and even a couple of power-ballads (The Past, Sorrow). Is Sevendust aiming to have more commercial appeal?
I don't think we're trying to do anything different from what we did on any other record commercially speaking. We've had songs like “Angel Son” and “X-Mas Day” and “Skeleton Song” over the years and nobody questioned it. Now we go and put a friend of ours on the record, who can wail mind you, but happened to have been on American Idol, and, “OOOOOOOH SHIT!!!! SEVENDUST IS SELLIN OUT!!!” Hahaha. It doesn't bother me too much. We feel great about what we write about and who we decide to collaborate with. Like any other time, we’re friends with the people we collaborate with and we totally respect their craft.
How do you think your fans will react to this side of Sevendust?
I think that everybody that gets the record will for the most part enjoy what we tried to convey on it. In the past, people called us “nu-metal,” or “metal,” or even “rap metal” if you can believe that? It's not that I mind being labeled, but I don't think a whole bunch of thought went into it. After all this time, my wife came up with the best term for our band...”confused rock.” It's perfect! We are confused. We can tour with Slipknot or Finger Eleven and those bands can't play with each other. We're too heavy for the Finger Eleven crowd and too wimpy for most of the Slipknot crowd. We're Sevendust and we're confused hahaha. Only our people get that. We'll see if that changes any on this album.
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| "After all this time, my wife came up with the best term for our band... "confused rock."" |
How were these songs (Past, Sorrow) in particular written?
“The Past” was originally called “Beneath the Water.” I don't know why we changed it. Oh well. With “Sorrow,” it's one of the first songs I got from john. At the time, I really wasn't prepared to write. I remember the night in particular: it was just another “boo hoo” night of wondering “why me?” I used that feeling as my topic - writing about how some people never look around at the rest of the world and see what's going on. They’re always too busy pouting about their own shit. It happens.
What are your favorite tracks off of Chapter VII?
Strange enough, it changes, but this week it's “The Past.” It's a song of perseverance and has a positive message behind it, something that's a little different for us. I kinda like it.
Is 7Bros records currently working with any other bands?
As far as 7bros. goes, no. However, I've been working with a few really cool bands and producing them with Shawn Grove. I hope they make their way over to 7bros., but we'll have to see. There's just so much that goes into running your own label and when we're in our cycle it's crazy. When it slows down we'll get to work signin’ em' up!
Interview by Brandon Weiss
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