SEETHER | Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum | Album Review

"If you want peace, prepare for war". Translated into Latin, that phrase becomes the title of Seether's newest album, "Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum". It's a seemingly fitting title, both in terms of the current status of the world and in the themes that Seether has been known for since the start of their career. This South African band has been a mainstay at rock radio ever since the early to mid 2000's, which is quite an anomaly for a band in their home country. They're also among the list of bands that usually gets put into the same bucket as bands like Theory Of A Deadman or Nickelback, which is not that fair because despite having post-grunge elements, the band has at least attempted to put effort in their music than most of their contemporaries, especially when referencing albums like "Holding Onto Strings Better Left To Fray" and "Karma And Effect". The band's latest studio album is what Seether fans expect as far as the lyrical themes go with Shaun Morgan saying the following about the 13-track affair. "Thise songs are carefully crafted to nestle in your ears like a tiny velvet rabbit clutching a switchblade. This whole album is kind of me going through that process. I'm exposing myself to a degree I'm not normally comfortable with. But I think it's okay. I'm proud to be a little bit more vulnerable on this album. As you can see, this is definitely a trope Seether has felt is their best trick, and they've done it well before. Add the fact that this album is influenced by alt-rock bands such as A Perfect Circle and Deftones, not to mention that some of the album's songs are not written in the typical verse-chorus structure omnipresent in popular music, then you have something that has a lot of potential riding on it. So, is that potential reached? Let's take a look at what Seether has in them in 2020.

The first four tracks on the album are "Dead And Done", "Bruised And Bloodied", "Wasteland", and lead single "Dangerous", most of which aren't too different from what Seether has done before and harken back a bit to the band's previous album, "Poison The Parish". "Dead And Done" and "Bruised And Bloodied" definitely exemplify that statement as some of the riffs feel carbon copied from tracks off of that album. To be fair, though, "Dead And Done" at least has some interesting characteristics, such as an extended intro which has some solid instrumental work (with new guitarist Corey Lowery doing a serviceable job), and some harsh screamed vocals from Shaun Morgan at certain points. It's a nice intro to the album for sure. "Bruised And Bloodied" I think is a little more familiar and with that I don't think this track has as much to offer. It's when we get to "Wasteland" and "Dangerous" that I feel the album begins to have a bit more movement and variety. Both of these tracks represent the more melodic side of this album, and both are great tracks in my opinion. "Wasteland" mixes the heavy riffs and melodic verses excellently and is proof of the band wanting to tap more into the 90's alternative style, and it's definitely one of the major highlights. "Dangerous" is dark and brooding with its melodic fixture, and the verses really stick out on this one with the bass and drumwork coming together. The chorus is also pretty catchy, and I think that this was a solid choice for a leadoff single to promote the album because of all of the reasons listed above and many more.

"Liar" follows suit with more melody similarly to "Dangerous" and its slower tempo has enough appeal to keep Seether fans coming back to it. "Can't Go Wrong" is more of a blend of both worlds with aggressive riff-driven choruses and verses based in solemn clean guitarwork. It's yet another highlight for me for that reason. Everything so far has been good, but the rest of the album has a lot of shades of "Karma And Effect" in a more modern setting makes any sense. Proof of this is in the track "Buried In The Sand", which isn't one of my choice cuts due to a brief lyrical hiccup, but I do appreciate the catchy chorus and the fact that there's more melody to sift through, and that's commendable. "Let It Go", "Failure", "Drift Away", and "Pride Before The Fall" are the other tracks that sound like they would fit right at home with Seether's classic material. "Let It Go" certainly has a groove to it, but like with many tracks off of this album, there is a blend of melody and angst that is easily convincing, especially considering Shaun Morgan is able to portray that in a very believable way. "Failure" and "Drift Away" are tracks that fans of classic Seether will love to death. "Failure" contains more of that alternative rock sound to it, and while it does feel like familiar territory, it still adds some freshness to the album. "Drift Away" has a more melancholy tone to it, and being the longest track on the album it feels like this track had some real effort put into it. I can see myself coming back to "Drift Away" a lot in the future, and the same thing could be said for many tracks on this album.

Some of the more aggressive cuts aren't exempt from that idea either, although the tracks I'm referring to, "Beg" and "Pride Before The Fall" aren't the meat of the album. They still manage to be solid cuts, with both having a good helping of rough vocals from Shaun Morgan who really lets loose on both cuts, especially on "Pride Before I Fall". Eventually, we get to the album closer "Written In Stone", and appropriately it's an acoustic ballad. Similarly to so many tracks on "Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum", there's a good focus on melody and brooding atmosphere, and as an album closer it does its job in an effective way. And with that, it's safe to say that the African band has followed up "Poison The Parish" with another solid album. Is this album as good as some of their best material? Not entirely, because I'm not necessarily blown off of my feet by any of these tracks. But, for what these tracks are, Seether are still able to deliver an album that's worth hearing front to back, which is rare among the hot button bands of active rock radio. It is a step above recent efforts from bands like Three Days Grace, Five Finger Death Punch, and Godsmack in the fact that there's actually substance to the music. Overall, "Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum" is an album filled with dark and melancholic atmospheres blended with the typical hard rock style that Seether fans have loved since the 2000's. It's not for everyone, so if you're expecting Seether to go for something different, you won't find that here. But, if this is up your alley, and you're a Seether fan, definitely check it out.

RATING: 8/10

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