Album Review: SEETHER - Poison The Parish

01. Stoke the Fire

02. Betray and Degrade

03. Something Else

04. I'll Survive

05. Let You Down

06. Against the Wall

07. Let Me Heal

08. Saviours

09. Nothing Left

10. Count Me Out

11. Emotionless

12. Sell My Soul

13. Feels Like Dying (Bonus Track)

14. Misunderstood (Bonus Track)

15. Take a Minute (Bonus Track)

It's easy to be cynical about South Africa's Seether. In the late 90's and early 2000's, a number of mainstream Heavy Rock bands appeared that sounded like the missing link between Grunge and the emerging Nu-Metal scene. They had lyrics that were less abstract and more obvious to the casual listener, and the music was that bit more sanitised and moulded to fit American Rock radio stations. There were hundreds of these 'Post-Grunge' bands sprouting up with their over processed Nu-Metal production and their marketable angst, and they were all so damn safe compared to what was going on in the early 90's. I'm talking about Puddle of Mudd, Nickelback, Staind, Creed, 3 Doors Down etc. Seether were one of these bands.

I warmed to Seether simply because they have some really good songs in their repertoire. I remember when I heard the single Same Damn Life from their 2014 album Isolate and Medicate and was utterly blown away by it. It was at this point that I started to pay more attention to their back catalogue, and realised that they're a much better band than I initially gave them credit for.

Seether's new album Poison The Parish was a pleasant surprise. They're still clearly worshiping at the temple of Kurt Cobain, but this time around they sound a little grittier and more aggressive. I can hear some other influences in there, most notably Tool and Soundgarden, making this another release that'll appeal to lovers of early 90's Grunge. There are some seriously good songs on here including Count Me Out, Sell My Soul, and the lead single Let You Down. Seether aren't bringing anything new to the table, but what they have brought is a fine collection of songs that'll please fans and sits nicely with the rest of their back catalogue.