Sevendust is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. The band was formed in 1994 by bassist Vincent Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist John Connolly. Vincent Hornsby got the idea for the band name from the label on a can he found in his mother's garage. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and guitarist Clint Lowery joined the group. Following a few name changes, the members settled on the name Sevendust and released their self-titled debut on April 15, 1997.
The self-titled debut sold 311 copies its first week. However, through touring, and TVT support, the album gained charting success through Billboard and earned gold certification. Since formation, Sevendust has released twelve studio albums, earned additional charting success and gold sales certifications. Their recent studio album Blood & Stone was released on October 23, 2020. They have also re-released their self-titled debut album in a "Definitive Edition"—which contains five new tracks and a DVD.
Current members
- Vince Hornsby – bass (1994–present), backing vocals (2014–present)
- Morgan Rose – drums, backing vocals (1994–present), lead vocals (1994)
- John Connolly – rhythm guitar (1994–2005, 2008–present), lead guitar (1994, 2004–2008), backing vocals (1994–present)
- Lajon Witherspoon – lead vocals (1994–present)
- Clint Lowery – lead guitar, backing vocals (1994–2004, 2008–present)
Former Members:
- Sonny Mayo – rhythm guitar (2005–2008)
- Kurt Wubbenhorst – keyboards (2013–2015)
Discography:
- Sevendust (1997)
- Home (1999)
- Animosity (2001)
- Seasons (2003)
- Next (2005)
- Alpha (2007)
- Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow (2008)
- Cold Day Memory (2010)
- Black Out the Sun (2013)
- Time Travelers & Bonfires (2014)
- Kill the Flaw (2015)
- All I See Is War (2018)
- Blood & Stone (2020)
- Truth Killer (2023)
The band's music provides examples of:
- A Day in the Limelight: "X-Mas Day" is sung mostly by Clint Lowery.
- Anti-Love Song: "Bitch" and "Denial."
- Cover Version: "School's Out" by Alice Cooper, which would later be featured on the "Definitive Edition" of their self-titled debut.
- They had recently covered "The Day I Tried to Live" by Soundgarden, released on Blood & Stone.
- Darker and Edgier: Alpha is much, much heavier than the two albums that preceded it.
- Epic Rocking: "Burn" from the album Alpha, clocking in at just over nine minutes.
- Eyeless Face: A whole crowd of them in the music video for Ugly.
- Eye Scream: The music video for "Ugly" features a machine that removes people's eyes.
- Face Framed in Shadow: The music video for "Praise."
- Grief Song: "Angel's Son," dedicated to the late Snot frontman James Lynn Strait, and "Skeleton Song," written in memory of Lajon Witherspoon's brother.
- Handicapped Badass: The music video for "Enemy" features an armless wrestler.
- Long Runner: A band that debuts in the midst of the rock era that we would all like to forget as "nu-metal" should, by all conventional wisdom, have disappeared by now. Wrong. 2020 marks the band's 23rd year since their debut album, with only one lineup change (Lowery to Sonny Mayo and now back to Lowery), and 13 albums to their credit as of October 2020. Most of their contemporaries have been lucky to release four or five albums before disbanding or fading into obscurity. As the most prominent rock band since Living Colour to have an African American singer, Sevendust does not get anywhere near the respect or mainstream recognition that it should.
- Metal Scream: Provided by Morgan Rose on a lot of songs.
- Nu Metal: One of the few bands in this genre to continue performing today.
- Nonindicative Name: "X-Mas Day" is not really a Christmas song, just so you know.
- Take That!: "Enemy," written by Morgan Rose, dissed Coal Chamber frontman Dez Fafara for the way he treated Rose's (then) wife, who also happened to be the bassist for Coal Chamber.
- Token Minority: While he is not the only one, Lajon is one of the few black rock and metal vocalists active right now. He is, however, arguably the most well-known, along with possibly William DuVall of Alice in Chains, Corey Glover of Living Colour (along with the rest of the band), Byron Davis of God Forbid, Howard Jones of Light the Torch (also formerly of Killswitch Engage), Derrick Green of Sepultura, Ice-T of Body Count, Adam Warren of Oceano, Kyle Anderson of Brand of Sacrifice, Tommy "Vext" Cummings, and Benji Webbe of Skindred.
