by Jessica Nguyen
On April 18th, the Electric Factory contained a crowd full of metal fans and I felt right at home as soon as I walked through the door. Three bands in front of Sevendust set the perfect tone to amp up the crowd. Stolen Babies put on an entertaining show and then Italian metal band Lacuna Coil walked onto the stage and the crowd exploded with energy. I thought the man standing next to me on the balcony was going to fall over the edge from singing so hard and trying to get the lead singer’s attention. After Lacuna Coil, co-headliner Coal Chamber put on another excellent performance and had the crowd just as excited. After all, Coal Chamber hasn’t had a show in 11 years.
Sevendust arrived shortly after. In a recent interview lead singer Lajon Witherspoon, I was told that, for him, the most positive part of touring is “seeing all the beautiful faces that come out to support the band”. Lucky for us, this show had the full band. Clint Lowery just re-joined his band mates back on tour having taken some time off to be with his wife and new daughter. With the crowd more than ready, Sevendust played two new songs from their recently released album Black Out the Sun, “Till Death” and “Decay”.
The new album, the band’s ninth, was released at the end of March this year. Following their 2010 release, Cold Day Memory, and a long tour, the band members broke out into separate side projects for a bit. Black Out the Sun was recorded at Architekt Studios in New Jersey where Witherspoon says that he and the other members recorded for “thirty days, working noon to midnight seven days a week.”
One of the songs on Black Out the Sun, “Murder Bar”, is actually the name of the bar the guys use to hangout at after recording all day. “Life experiences made for a more well-rounded album and we weren’t afraid to do certain things while making it,” says Witherspoon.
Though a lot of hard work was put into the making of Black Out the Sun, the band didn’t stray away from fan favorites like “Waffle”, “Denial” and “Face to Face” at the Electric Factory. This band’s energy and interactions with the crowd was nothing short of amazing. Witherspoon defines the meaning of lead singer, working the stage with his band mates with such ease. The band is always grateful and gracious, thanking us metal fans more way more than once during the show.
Sevendust is the type of band seen talking with fans in the parking lot until 2am. They could have just jumped on the bus and left but they are certainly not like that. Not many bands would be willing to do this anymore, but these guys make sure to stay in touch, because they want us to come back next time. “We plan to tour for as long as we can with this album,” says Witherspoon.
