Animosity

We’ve tried to ignore the nü-metal revolution in hopes that it might just go away, but we must give grudging acknowledgment to Sevendust for standing out as a beacon of adequacy mired in a sea of shit. On their third record, they manage to channel their routine alienation into majestic, riff-heavy rock. And it’d still be dull if it weren’t for the impassioned pipes of Lajon Witherspoon, who injects thundering guitar dramas like “Damaged” and “Follow” with something the whole genre badly needs: soul.