Almost two-and-a-half decades into their career, melodic metal stalwarts
Sevendust
issued their twelfth effort,
All I See Is War
. Building upon their general formula of pummeling sonic assaults elevated by frontman
Lajon Witherspoon
's soaring voice, the band continues its late-era evolution with a mature perspective, tighter delivery, and polished production, courtesy of
Michael "Elvis" Baskette
(
Alter Bridge
,
Chevelle
), especially apparent on early highlights like "Dirty" and "God Bites His Tongue." Echoing contemporary releases from
Godsmack
and
Lacuna Coil
is as potent and furious as anything in their back catalog, but still sets its sights on a future that is open to change (no matter how subtle). As with much of
's material,
War
sometimes runs the risk of sounding too homogeneous. Thankfully,
Witherspoon
's vocals have aged like fine wine and are magnetic enough to easily draw listeners back into the fold. The bandmembers --
Morgan Rose
John Connolly
Clint Lowery
, and
Vince Hornsby
-- follow suit, honed into a formidably taut unit after a dozen albums. There's a palpable confidence in the moments when
step away from their trademark sound and opt to stir emotions not with brute strength but sweeping beauty, like on the moving "Not Original" and tortured "Sickness." That assuredness also propels the album on traditionally straightforward ragers like "Medicated" and "Unforgiven" and the muscular groovers "Cheers" and "The Truth." The maturation of
-- now long past their early nu-metal days -- is extended with skill and conviction by
, which is at once comforting in its familiarity and fresh enough to hint at more to come. ~ Neil Z. Yeung