| Black Out the Sun | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 26, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | September–October 2012 | |||
| Studio | Architekt Music in Butler, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:23 | |||
| Label | Asylum | |||
| Producer | Sevendust | |||
| Sevendust chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Black Out the Sun | ||||
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Black Out the Sun is the ninth studio album by American rock band Sevendust, released on March 26, 2013.
Black Out the Sun marks the band's first album in almost three years. After concluding touring in support of their eighth album, Cold Day Memory , many of the members spent 2012 working on side projects, with guitarist Clint Lowery and drummer Morgan Rose forming Call Me No One and releasing Last Parade . Concurrently, guitarist John Connolly and bassist Vinnie Hornsby formed Projected and released Human . By the end of the year, the members reunited and began collective work on Black Out the Sun.
Rose stated that the band took the same approach to the album as he and Lowery had with making Last Parade, stating:
"For that album we went in with very little material, and it was really exciting and we had a good time doing it...It was fresh. We didn't over think stuff too much. So we kinda sold the rest of the guys on trying to do it that way. We were maybe a little apprehensive going in, but it worked exactly the way we had hoped. We didn't have any songs, but everybody grabbed their station and kind of picked up whatever needed help or work, and we were able to bang out it with nothing but riffs. It was really from the cuff..." [3]
The exception to this was the band's first single, "Decay", which had a riff that originated from the Cold Day Memory sessions, but the band had waited to finish it for Black Out the Sun, in fear they were too burned out to do it justice originally. [3]
The album was recorded at Architekt Music Studios in Butler, New Jersey. [4] Witherspoon stated that the album's title was chosen due a dream of his, stating, "In the dream, the sun was going away and I was just looking for safety before it happened and not necessarily knowing what would happened[ sic ] when it blacked out but just knowing that something was scary. I guess it just seems more like the feeling of the unknown." [5]
Connolly described the album's sound as having "a darker vibe", with "still plenty of melody", comparing it more to the band's earlier albums Animosity , Alpha and Sevendust [6] and that it "is almost like a greatest-hits record of songs you've never heard before." [7] Lowery described the album's sound as "spontaneous" and said that it "has the spirit of our older records, but it's evolved as well". [7]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AbsolutePunk | 85% [8] |
| About.com |   [9] |
| Allmusic |  [10] |
| Loudwire | [11] |
| KNAC | [12] |
| PopMatters |   [13] |
The album received critical acclaim on release. Artist Direct gave a positive review, saying "it's like they've transmuted the ferocity of their classic self-titled debut, Home, and Animosity into the sharp, succinct songwriting sensibility of Cold Day Memory." Similarly Allmusic stated that "Black Out The Sun is such a solidly constructed album that it's hard to fault these guys for doing what they do best and giving the people the kind of skull-crushing hard rock that they're asking for." IMDb also reviewed the album, stating, "While the tone of the material on this album is a bit darker and more ominous, it's still every bit as much a Sevendust project; a few elements here began life in another form during Cold Day Memory's songwriting sessions, but as a whole the tense, urgent vibe here falls more in line with their groundbreaking 2001 release Animosity." [14] Larry Petro from KNAC gave the album 5 out of 5, stating, "I absolutely love it when a band puts out an album that is great from start to finish, with no urge to skip a track, and that's exactly what Sevendust has done with Black Out The Sun." The Aquarian Weekly reviewer praised the album, saying, "This album shows the group remains dedicated to their craft, excited about making new music and eager to embrace the risks that go with it. And that's the kind of thing that will keep the fans excited for a good while longer." [15] Dusty Peters from UnRated Magazine wrote, "Black Out the Sun is one of the most complete metal albums that has been released in quite some time. A fan or not of Sevendust, after listening to Black Out the Sun, you will truly experience the love that the band has for music and themselves. With over 16 years together and 9 recorded albums to their name, Sevendust has completed their musical journey to the top with Black Out the Sun." [16]
The album debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard 200, [17] and No. 5 on the Top Rock Albums chart, [18] selling around 27,000 copies in its first week of release. [19]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Memory" | Lowery | 1:24 |
| 2. | "Faithless" | Lowery, Witherspoon | 4:10 |
| 3. | "Till Death" | Lowery, Rose, Witherspoon | 3:06 |
| 4. | "Mountain" | Lowery, Rose | 3:08 |
| 5. | "Cold as War" | Lowery | 4:03 |
| 6. | "Black Out the Sun" | Lowery | 3:27 |
| 7. | "Nobody Wants It" | Lowery, Rose, Witherspoon | 3:10 |
| 8. | "Dead Roses" | Lowery, Rose | 3:01 |
| 9. | "Decay" | Lowery, Rose, Witherspoon, Connolly, Hornsby | 3:25 |
| 10. | "Dark AM" | Lowery, Rose | 3:28 |
| 11. | "Picture Perfect" | Lowery, Witherspoon | 3:47 |
| 12. | "Got a Feeling" | Lowery | 4:32 |
| 13. | "Murder Bar" | Lowery, Rose, Witherspoon, Connolly, Hornsby | 3:42 |
| Total length: | 44:23 | ||
Sevendust
| Production and design
|
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 [20] | 18 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) [21] | 1 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard) [22] | 4 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [23] | 5 |
| US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard) [24] | 8 |
Staind is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki. The lineup has been stable outside of the 2011 departure of Wysocki, who was replaced by Sal Giancarelli. Staind has recorded seven studio albums: Tormented (1996), Dysfunction (1999), Break the Cycle (2001), 14 Shades of Grey (2003), Chapter V (2005), The Illusion of Progress (2008), and Staind (2011). The band was most successful in the early 2000s, with Break the Cycle going five times platinum in the United States and producing a top-five Billboard Hot 100 hit with its lead single "It's Been Awhile". Break the Cycle, along with the band's following two full-length albums, also topped the Billboard 200, and the two after peaked within the top five. Several of their other singles also became rock and pop hits, including "Fade", "For You", "Price to Play", "So Far Away", and "Right Here".
Sevendust is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and rhythm guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and lead guitarist Clint Lowery joined the group. Following a few name changes, the members settled on the name Sevendust and released their self-titled debut album on April 15, 1997, which sold only 310 copies in its first week but ultimately achieved gold certification through touring and support from their label, TVT Records.
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Clint Lowery is an American musician, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Sevendust. He has also played in Dark New Day and Still Rain, and served as the touring guitarist for Korn and Seether through most of 2007 and 2017, respectively. In 2008, he decided to work on new music as a solo artist, and the name of the project was titled Hello Demons Meet Skeletons. Lowery wrote and recorded a six-song EP while off the road with Sevendust, just for a week. He played every instrument on the CD, which was produced by his brother Corey Lowery. The EP, Chills, was released in October, followed by a tour at the same month. He would also later release two more EPs with HDMS. Also his fourth and last EP, Choices, was released in 2013.
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| Studio albums | |
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| Live albums | |
| Compilation albums | |
| Video albums | |
| Singles |
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| Related articles | |
