SEETHER | Poison The Parish | Album Review

NOTE: This review was originally posted on May 13, 2017.

There's one thing that needs to be clarified right from the starting point. Seether is soaring above the clouds as far as album material goes in this decade. Once seen as a promising band in rock music, and slowly turning the "promising" label to "top-tier", the band has seemed to do no wrong in this current decade, after releasing two consecutive masterpieces of albums, titled "Holding Onto Strings Better Left To Fray", which is their highest summit in songwriting and execution, and "Isolate And Medicate", one that did not fullfill as much as its predecessor, but showcased the band's strength in a different way. Now, with their sixth studio album releasing in 2017 (not counting the album from 2000 they did as Saron Gas), there's a lot to prove, a lot to be tested, and a lot to confirm about Seether's longevity as well as their ability to write music. For this album, entitled "Poison The Parish", the band is self-producing and bringing a lot more of the hard rock side that seems to be missing from rock radio these days, and with that comes heavy guitarwork and loud drums dipped in simplicity and subtlety. And soundwise, if there's something that needs to be stated, that's exactly the kind of light they captured with this project. 

Whenever the first single of the album was released entitled "Let You Down", I was very pleased and boldly anticipated this album with a slew of excitement and hope. However, that progressively got lower and lower with every pre-release song they released to the public as the three songs that followed in its wake as promotional songs, "Stoke The Fire", "Nothing Left", and "Count Me Out", all sounded too similar. All four of the tracks they pre-released are all played in the same key and fail a little bit to feel disparate from each other, with the difference being the tempo, "Nothing Left" being the real offender and possibly one of my least favorite tracks on the disc. However, the other two, even though they do sound a bit similar to "Let You Down", were songs that had redeeming qualities to it as they both proved that Shaun Morgan's vocals are still very well done, emotive and at times insane whenever you consider the screams found among these songs. Whenever these screamed vocals show up on these tracks, it feels like Shaun has gained more and more wind in the sails as each album has passed instead of feeling aged and tired. And this is something that is proof within his singing vocals as well throughout the album, and it's easy to say that Shaun sounds so energized and showcases a wide range of his emotions with every note that he utters among the tracks on this record. 

Thankfully, this album does have diversity to it like much of Seether's other albums in their discography, which is what I was fearing after hearing those four pre-released songs, one of which begins this album at a heavy pace, that being "Stoke The Fire". This is an aspect that has always worked to their benefit, as all of their albums have great kickoff tracks that really set the tone of the style you'll be getting delivered to your doorstep with this album, and if they don't necessarily do that, they still get you really entranced for what you're about to hear within each album. The second track on the album, "Betray And Degrade", continues where the track before it left off with a very good and calculated mixture of some of their older ideals with the new, and that's something to be appreciated on this disc. In fact, there's really two or three filler tracks on this album, one of which is the third track and the lowest point of the album, "Someone Else", but very quickly gets back up on its feet as we explore the twelve tracks that make this project, fifteen if the deluxe edition of the album comes into the picture. 

Another thing I really noticed throughout my time listening to this disc, especially whenever you get past "Let You Down" is that this album seems like it's a love letter to a lot of the bands that Seether was influenced by. I'm hearing a lot of the Seattle grunge movement in a lot of this stuff, particularly Nirvana, and that is a compliment. This album seems to be a throwback to the 1990's, and it's a very good thing seeing the band's influences pour out into their material so viscerally and in fact it seems to be the most they've ever referenced this sound in a long time. You hear that on tracks such as "Emotionless" and album closer "Sell My Soul" especially, while it does appear on the album in specific parts. The three bonus tracks on the album also have a massive penchant towards their influences, as the first bonus track that you get here, "Feels Like Dying", feels like it's a second part of the song that preceded it, and I could only theorize that maybe they left it off the regular edition because of that, but I'm not really sure. But, I can totally understand why these were bonus tracks, however, as they don't necessarily add much to the 12-track affair, even though they still bestow plays and attention. 

Some of my major highlights on this album aren't just tracks like "Let You Down" or "Betray And Degrade", as track six off of this album, "Against The Wall", is probably the most diverse track on the album. It's a ballad track that doesn't feel like any of their other ballady songs, not even tracks like "Master Of Disaster" or "The Gift" that they've recorded in the past. "Against The Wall" does add a lot of diversity to this album, which is mostly fixated in one simple direction. That's definitely not to say the other tracks are not good, because they certainly are, but this is a track that feels individualized from the album and it offers us a break from the heaviest and sludgiest of sounds, and does so very well. "Let Me Heal", the track that follows, is probably the highlight of the album in my own opinion. Even though the choruses of this song feel VERY similar to the final line of the verses of their song "Roses", it's still the track that shows the most effort put into it in my own personal opinion. The songwriting is fantastic on this track as well as the melodies of the instruments and the vocals which make for a very emotive track that is destined to be listened to. This is a song that's destine to be among one of my favorite Seether songs over time, similar to the other song on the album that has a title that begins with the word "let". Kinda ironic, but still a phenomenal song.

I don't really feel like this album is NEARLY as good as their previous two albums, especially "Holding Onto Strings", which I will continously champion as the strongest album Seether has ever written, and in terms of sheer musical construction, you can't get any better than that in terms of Seether albums. However, this is still a disc that proves that Seether can basically go in any direction they want with their sound, and it will still sound great. Seether have already achieved their highest level of songwriting in my opinion, and with this album, they show that their philosophy has not aged in the least. For fans of Nirvana and bands of that ilk that desire the style of that band resurrected a little bit by a band they influenced, you'll definitely find yourself at home here. For people who are set on finding a good rock album in the plethora of rock albums that have gotten good scores such as "In Droves" by Black Map, this disc will cater to you sufficiently. And if you're a Seether fan, like I am, you know the drill; this album is definitely one to pick up, even if it's not quite as perfect or worthy of being at the top of a list of best albums of the year. It does drag in parts, however, the parts that do drag are still tolerable and still keep you engaged and hooked on the album. 

RATING: 8/10

What did you think about the record? Was it good? Was it bad? Let me know in the comments below. And of course, these are only my opinions. If your opinions are different, awesome! If they're similar, then that's great, too. So, don't hesitate- comment to me about it down below. Take care.