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Seether – The Surface Seems So Far

Florian Buechting Media Review No Comments

Seether - The Surface Seems So Far

Seether - The Surface Seems So Far
4.1

Rating

 4.1/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Nice, fluent listen of the album
  • Good plots between grunge/rock and metal elements

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Predictable touch

I rarely run into music from South Africa. Even though Seether is nowadays based in the United States, I was thrilled to have a listen to their new album. The Surface Seems So Far is already the ninth studio release of the hard rockers. The album has been released on 20th September 2024.

 

Seether – About The Artists

Seether have been founded in Pretoria, South Africa in 1999. Their original band name was Saron Gas, before the renamed to Seether and relocated to the United States in 2002. Their music is somewhere between post-grunge, alternative metal and hard rock. The only founding member of the band still active is singer and guitarist Shaun Morgan. Bassist Dale Steward joined in 2000. The other current band members are drummer John Humphrey and guitarist Corey Lowery. Their 2002 debut album Disclaimer made it into the US charts and received an RIAA golden record. With the following album Disclaimer II, Seether already made it in numerous global markets. So far, the band has released eight studio albums. The most recent release has been Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum in 2020.

 

Seether – The Surface Seems So Far – Track by Track

The eleven track album lasts 47 minutes.

1. Judas Mind

The two feature singles so far, Judas Mind and Illusion kick off Seether’s 2024 album. Judas Mind is the opener, The song is already pushing the album into a certain direction: powerful, angry vocals, rich and full riffs and a nice groove of the song. The post-grunge sound with a touch of metal is easily lulling the listener, who at some time inevitably moves his head to the music.

2. Illusion

The second single release on the album, Illusion, makes you feel quite familiar from the very beginning. The style and signature is simply close to the track before, even though Illusion does not lean towards metal as strongly as its predecessor.

3. Beneath the Veil

Seether fans will be especially thrilled about Beneath the Veil, as it opens the block of new songs. The first moments of the third track could lead into a Nirvana song as well. Somehow, this reference does not go out of my head when the band is strumming their guitars harder. But thinking about Kurt Cobain and his bandmates while listening to music is not the worst thing, I guess.

4. Semblance of Me

Well I guess I make you nervous, and I’d probably feel the same
In the end it serves a purpose – I’m just a moth to the flame
When a scratch becomes a lesion I like to turn the eye that’s blind
You create a better version of me but oh, it’s all a lie

Semblance of Me is more focused on the Shaun Morgan on the microphone. The guitar bring their riffs in the background – and also John Humphrey saves some resources on the drumming side. This leads to a nice flow and a nice plot of the song – especially as the chorus and the bridge and heading towards the harder rock styles.

5. Walls Come Down

If you liked Semblance of Me, you are quite likely also having a positive attitude towards Walls Come Down. I personally like the chorus in here, which stays in my mind very well. The song is overall more gentle. Nonetheless, you feel the typical grunge sound and a flavor of alternative rock.

So take this doubt and grant me something more
I won ‘t last without a reason to endure
Don’t mistake me now for an empty shell, unsure
When the walls come down we’re left with something pure

6. Try to Heal

There are several songs on The Surface Seems So Far with a similar duration – but, finally, Try To Heal is the longest track on the album. The song is an emotional up and down. The verses of the song could easily be the basis of a fine rock ballad, but in the chorus, the South Africans underline their musical origin. This leads to a very nice, variable sound.

7. Paint the World

The guitar work at the beginning of Paint the World already feels rather heavy, but the arrangement pushes the sound quite to the background. With the chorus, though, the mixers are pushed forward. That leads to a nice drive of the song, which goes up and down like a mountain road trip or a rollercoaster ride. These kind of songs define the catch and fascination of the music of Seether.

8. Same Mistakes

I already felt about Kurt Cobain and his legendary band. Same mistakes just leads me to a similar though. However, this time it is rather Shaun Morgan and his voice, which make me think of them. Again, I enjoy feeling nostalgic on the one hand – and enjoy the 2024 Seether sound on the other one.

9. Lost All Control

Energetic and very present bass play and wandering along the edge of heavy metal – Lost All Control adds a nice new flavor to The Surface Seems So Far. The marching guitars add an additional, enjoyable theme to this song as well. This finally defines a very widespread and entertaining sound. One of the best listens of the album, indeed.

10. Dead on the Vine

Already the first tunes of Dead on the Vine suggest that this song is rather leaning towards heavy metal. Therefor, the grungy groove is faded a bit. No need to complain – these guys are good in that kind of sound as well.

11. Regret

Regret starts a bit of slower and more quiet. The melody reminds of the song before as well. Everything feels to be set for a gentle fade-out of the album. However, just in that mood, the song more and more becomes one of the gems of the album. If you miss some harder sounds, the second half of the chucker-out will give you exactly that as well.

 

Seether – The Surface Seems So Far – Spotify

Here is the album on Spotify:

 

Seether – The Surface Seems So Far – My View

The Surface Seems So Far is a very nice, fluent to listen album. The band is delivering good plots. However, there are some similarities between the songs and how they are constructed. This on the one hand also leads to the nice 47 minute flow, but sometimes also leads to a predictable character. Thus, I really like the 2024 Seether sound, but do not head for the top-notch ratings.

Favorite Song: Lost All Control

 

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