New Music Review – Sevendust: Time Travelers and Bonfires

                After the dumpster fire that was Black Out the Sun, to say I was a little cautious about picking up Time Travelers and Bonfires was an understatement.  Hearing that it was going to be an acoustic album didn’t necessarily help this feeling of uncertainty because the tempo in Black Out the Sun was a primary reason I had a problem with it.  Would this be just a continuation of that album?  Would this just travel further down the path of mediocrity already laid in place by the preceding album?  Most importantly, would it be worth my twelve dollars or would I be duped once again by a band that was at one point one of my favorites?

                After a couple listening sessions, it is clear that, while the Sevendust I knew from my youth appears to be gone, the quieter Sevendust is not nearly as bad as their previous album led me to believe.  A few years ago, Sevendust released Southside Doublewide, their acoustic live album, where they played their hits, as heavy as they normally would, just on acoustic instruments.  Time Travelers and Bonfires has a similar vibe to that.  Some of the songs are slower, and probably belong on Black Out the Sun (and were probably leftovers from those recording sessions), but a lot of them have a familiar feel to them, basically Sevendust songs that happen to be played on acoustic instruments.  It doesn’t hurt that the last six songs are just that, rerecordings of classic Sevendust songs with the acoustic treatment. 

                The band is still as adept with their instruments, and singer Lajon Witherspoon’s vocals are as spot on as ever.  The band does seem to have followed his lead though as they have turned a bit more mellow as they have all aged and Witherspoon has gone from “angry singing” (the only way I can explain him on their earlier work, go listen to it and you’ll understand) to “normal singing”.  He has a good voice, one that works well in both capacities, but the sea-change from a heavy band to one that has become more ballad-oriented is a shame.

                This is a decent pickup, much better than their previous output.  I wouldn’t run out and grab it as it’s not anything that will blow your mind, but it is a good pickup and if you’re a completionist, like me, it won’t make you feel like you were duped by the band.