Review SEVENDUST ‘Truth Killer’

‘Truth Killer’, that’s the title of the new Sevendust album. Their 14^th longplayer features 12 songs and the start into this record is a kind of special in a sense that it isn’t blasting modern metal that reaches your ears. Instead, the opener ‘I Might Let the Devil Win’ displays a calm and dark beginning. The second half of the song gets heavier although the general pattern remains.

The title track is next, and it is a heavy pounding song with nu-metal riffing and melodic vocal lines that certainly allow the band to reach their target group. The same combination is what ‘No Revolution’ offers, and the same goes for the following ‘Sick Mouth’. However, step by step, we’re getting closer to the weak spot of the album.

‘Truth Killer’ doesn’t really offer any surprises or unexpected twists. The album follows a successful formula and delivers as expected, but doesn’t offer anything more. ‘Leave Hell Behind’, with its emotional depth and the calmer opening, deviates slightly from the standard pattern without moving towards uncharted territory.

‘Messenger’ takes a similar road, and in a way, the album just rumbles along. One must wait until the closer ‘Fence’ to experience a more aggressive sound. There are no brakes, and the heavily pounding track has no compromises. Fury is what drives the song, and much more of this would have benefited the album a lot.

‘Truth Killer’ is a good album, but it feels a bit lengthy. What’s missing is the final punch, and one can get the impression that the album is more of an obligation than the most passionate work offered by the guys from Atlanta, Georgia. Of course, Sevendust has been in business long enough to understand how things work. At the same time, ‘Truth Killer’ feels too much ‘planned’. Predictability is what takes away some strength from Sevendust’s newest offering. Again, ‘Truth Killer’ is a good album, but it’s not the best one in their long list of releases.