The semester is starting to wind down, which means horrible cram sessions that leave you loathing school. Thankfully, there is some much needed rock therapy coming to the Reliant Center tonight, featuring Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, Seether and Red.
It’s a little confusing to see Seether listed third instead of headlining. Regardless, the band is touring in support of their latest release Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces (released Oct. 23). The album is the best so far, despite the over-inflated egos of some rock critics.
"This is the strongest material for Seether that we could put out," drummer John Humphrey said. "It’s kind of a photograph for where we are at this point."
The album peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 chart, and the single "Fake it" is receiving regular airplay.
Most critics are hammering lead singer Shaun Morgan with the "he sounds like Kurt Cobain" riff, and it has taken a week of listening to the record to understand this angle. Vocally, Morgan is pretty far from Cobain’s sound, though the angst is definitely present. This is the dynamic that leads listeners down this monotonous tunnel where every band that sounds angry and is lyrically vindicated must be a Nirvana knock-off.
"The lyrics are Shaun’s…. he wears his heart on his sleeve," Humphrey said. "I think he sings differently than he did on Disclaimer."
Finding Beauty is a continuance of the Seether sound, with some new blends in a few songs. "No Jesus Christ," a misleading title, has a Tool-esque bass riff that is coupled with driving guitars and a crazed Morgan screaming, "You’re no Jesus Christ." This should sound amazing live, if they play it (wink-wink, nudge-nudge).
Lyrically, Morgan has had a lot on his mind to work out, from rehab to the death of his brother. Morgan’s lyrics stay fluid, but the music is more powerful than past compilations. Almost every track is radio ready except for "FMLYHM," a tantalizing carnal ballad.
The semester only gets harder, and there are four hard rock bands ready to assail the audience. It should help relieve some tension.
