Seether - Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces Review

Posted by Matt Reno on 10.26.2007

Seether is back, looking to make a bigger impact with a new album. Is it any good? Read on.

I honestly wasn't expecting much from Seether's latest album Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces. Sure, I've been digging their latest single "Fake It," but I figured it would be a shining spot on an otherwise lackluster album. I couldn't even remember any of their previous songs until I took a trip to Wikipedia, so I figured more unmemorable tracks were on the way. Luckily, on this album, Seether create more than just one standout. While nothing spectacular, Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces is a solid hard rock album that many will enjoy.

South African alt-metal unit Seether released their major label debut Disclaimer in 2002. The album produced a few modern rock singles, most notably "Fine Again," but didn't set the world on fire. They gained more attention when they released a slow ballad called "Broken," which featured Amy Lee on vocals. They followed the album with 2005's Karma and Effect and released an acoustic CD/DVD a year later. Now it seems as though Seether is primed to make a real run up the rock charts, at least with one big hit.



"Fake It" was an easy choice for lead single. It's so bouncy and immediately catchy that your grandfather might be caught bobbing his head and singing along, provided he doesn't mind the heaviness or obscenity. "Rise Above This" may also become a hit, perhaps even a crossover one. It's uplifting and accessible enough to those who may not prefer Seether's usual hard edge while still holding onto a touch of their rough rock sound.

For most of the album, Seether sticks to a heavy post-grunge sound featuring messages of pain and bitterness. "Like Suicide" gets the album off to a rocking start with a catchy chorus punctuated by Shaun Morgan's growls, which here remind me of those on Chevelle's "Don't Fake This." "Fallen" couples those growls with big guitar riffs, backing lyrics that sarcastically decry shallow people: "You're much too pretty / You don't need your mind / Just pretend." The band's sound is at its crunchiest in "Don't Believe," a somber song with a crushing chorus. The album's apex, the seven-minute "No Jesus Christ," starts with a quiet but quick guitar part, which eventually rises into a huge blast as Morgan loudly proclaims "You're no Jesus Christ!" to whomever he had been softly berating.

Plenty of other songs effectively mix the band's harsh side with their catchy one. In this way, Seether is a bit like a heavier Nickelback, making gritty rock songs that will quickly get stuck in your head. "Six Gun Quota," for example, has a fun, attention-grabbing hook standing in contrast to its theme of anger and self-loathing. Similarly, the darker "Eyes of the Devil" contains softer verses and a huge, hard rock chorus. Another song that you will immediately take notice of is "FMLYHM" (you'll figure out what that stands for as soon as you hear it). Though this song and "Fake It" may cause Seether to be accused of using profanity to get noticed, they're still fun pieces of hard rock that would sound cool even with different lyrics.

While this album is by no means a work of great innovation, they do veer in some slightly different directions, especially on "Fake It." Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces may be standard modern radio hard rock, but the album contains enough variations to keep it from completely blending together. Catchy hooks and crunchy riffs make this a good album to listen to while working out, shooting pool, or doing any other activity that requires little more than good, old-fashioned rocking out.

The 411: "Fake It" is a ton of fun, and there are several other memorable tunes on this album. For the most part, however, it's your standard angry alt-metal, not that there's anything wrong with that. Crank it up and enjoy.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]