Next

When alternative metal is showcased, I am usually first to bite my bottom lip and plead ignorant. But with the album "Next" by Sevendust, I quickly learned maybe they deserve my time after all.

Sevendust use heavy riffs and violent drum beats, not stopping once to think about the listener. They are clearly in their own world, with heads-a-shaking and fists pumping.

The music catches you by the neck and tosses you around, praying you understand meaning in the melodic rhythms they are screaming. "Failure" and the ballad "This Life" are triumphant points in the album and should be paid the most attention.

The heavy, dark sound is not something that has caught my attention before. Tool, System of a Down and Bush have all tried before and failed. But this group of songs posed a different take on a genre that has been drab with little spark.

The enjoyment continues throughout, though it should be noted I wasn't once overwhelmed or flushed with emotion because there was always something missing. This band has performed well over the last decade, and will continue to do so, despite treading the stage below mainstream.

Putting my metal insecurities aside, this is not a CD I will be passing onto my friends. No, this ones for me!