Rating:   10/10 (1 votes)

Sevendust is an alternative metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. They formed in late 1994 under the name Crawlspace but later were forced to change their name to Sevendust when a group from the West Coast claimed rights to Crawlspace. They were originally signed to TVT Records, but then released their fifth album with Winedark Records (through Universal Music) in the US, and Roadrunner Records overseas. Currently, they are signed to their own label 7 Bros. Records in conjuction with Asylum Records.

Sevendust quickly returned to the studio at the end of November 2007 to finish up their 7th studio album, titled 'Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow.' The record was originally slated for a release of March 4, 2008. However, the release date was changed to April 1. The album debuted at #19 on the Billboard 200. Chris Daughtry makes an appearance on Hope and Sorrow along with Alter Bridge members Myles Kennedy and [/b]Mark Tremonti.[/b] Sevendust toured Australia in March 2008, opening for Ozzy Osbourne.

On March 26, 2008, Sevendust announced that Clint Lowery, former guitarist and vocalist for the band, has quit his duties as guitarist for Dark New Day and will be returning to the Sevendust lineup in place of Sonny Mayo. On Lowery's return, Morgan Rose stated "This was extremely tough considering Sonny is our brother and has been amazing to work with. [Sonny] didn't do anything wrong at all; we just owe it to ourselves and all the folks that grew up with us to put our original band back together."

Rating:   10/10 (1 votes)

Alter Bridge was formed in 2004 by former Creed members Mark Tremonti, Scott Phillips, and Brian Marshall. Marshall didn't appear on Creed's final album Weathered. He left Creed in 2000 because of differences with singer Scott Stapp, but joined his former band mates in this project. Singer Myles Kennedy, formerly of The Mayfield Four, joined the Orlando-based band later. The band members originally met Kennedy when his former band The Mayfield Four toured with Creed in 1998.

The band juggled several names before settling for Alter Bridge. The name comes from a bridge on Alter Road, close to Tremonti's childhood home. The bridge is at the intersection of Alter and Korte, which forms the border between the city of Detroit, Michigan and the city of Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. The bridge signified a boundary to Tremonti when he was a child. His parents didn't want him crossing the bridge because the neighborhood on the other side wasn't considered safe enough for him to play as a child. Other names considered for the band include Downright Solace, and One Day Remains (which would become the title of their debut album).

The band was signed to Wind-up Records and released said debut album on August 10, 2004. The album produced three hit singles and was certified gold in the US, and platinum internationally. In addition, the song "Metalingus" was modified by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and used as the theme song for Adam "Edge" Copeland, starting in October of that year. About a year later, the band appeared on an episode of WWE Raw in 2005 during Edge's worked shoot feud with Matt Hardy, as they were shown backstage with Adam Copeland, who cited them as his good friends.

In April 2006, Alter Bridge announced that they had terminated their contract with Wind-Up Records, securing the rights to much of their studio and live catalog. The split was due to the pressure put on Tremonti, Phillips, and Marshall to reunite with Scott Stapp and reform Creed. By May 25, 2007, they had finished recording the new album. On July 9, 2007, it was announced that the band was signed by Universal Republic Records.

Their next album, titled 'Blackbird,' was released on October 9, 2007. The first single off the new album is titled "Rise Today," and was released for digital download on July 30, 2007.

Rating:   9.5/10 (2 votes)

Richard Patrick is a Cleveland area native who graduated from Bay Village High School in 1987. After a chance meeting with Trent Reznor in a Cleveland music store, Patrick landed a gig as guitarist in Reznor's live incarnation of Nine Inch Nails from 1989 to 1991. His only recorded contribution can be heard at the end of "Sanctified" on Pretty Hate Machine. He chose to leave the band during the recording of The Downward Spiral in 1993.

Following his departure from Nine Inch Nails, Richard Patrick formed his own industrial rock band, Filter, with Brian Liesegang who left the band after the recording of the band's first album, 1995's 'Short Bus.' 4 years later in 1999, Richard Patrick released Filter's second album, 'Title of Record' with help from guitarist Geno Lenardo. 'The Amalgamut,' Filter's third album was released 2002, with Richard Patrick canceling most of the supporting tour to check in to rehab for his alcoholism problem which had been plaguing him for years. An experience where he drunkenly fought with flight attendants on a plane after removing his clothes inspired Filter's arguably biggest single, "Take a Picture."

During a break from Filter, Richard Patrick formed Army of Anyone with former Stone Temple Pilots members Robert and Dean DeLeo along with drummer Ray Luzier. The band released a stellar self-titled album and offered a fan-friendly priced concert tour, but were still met with a luke-warm reception.

After a 5-year hiatus, Richard Patrick has announced Filter will be releasing a new record in 2008, entitled Anthems for the Damned. Collaborators on the record include Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails), Wes Borland (Black Light Burns, Limp Bizkit), and John 5 (Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie). The album was released on May 13, 2008.

Rating:   10/10 (1 votes)

Matt Nathanson doesn't waste any time setting the tone for his transfixing new album, 'Some Mad Hope.' Diving headlong into a sea of chiming guitars, the San Francisco-based singer-songwriter breathlessly declares "I'm wide awake and so alive" -- the opening lines of "Car Crash" serving as a statement of emotional clarity that permeates the disc's every groove.

Some Mad Hope, Nathanson's sixth studio album (and first for Vanguard), is in many ways his most fully-realized work to date. Recorded over the past two and a half years, the 12-song set displays a sonic depth that dovetails perfectly with what he admits is a newfound songwriting confidence.

"Every time I make a record, I think 'this is it!,'" Nathanson says with a laugh. "But I don't think I really understood how to make a record until this one. The process and the result had much more of a dynamic to it -- like we weren't just presenting songs -- it felt like the longest childbirth in the history of childbirths, but by the end, we really got it."

At the core of Nathanson's music are his lyrics -- deft turns of phrase that can alternately cut deep into the heart or heal it. That's evident throughout 'Some Mad Hope,' a song cycle of sorts that chronicles the search for a genuine connection, touching on the sensually electric moments as well as the darker frustrations of sifting through the wreckage -- in hopes of finding redemption at the end of the day.

"I definitely think of the album as capturing the arc of a relationship," says the Boston native. "It starts out on a positive note and it goes to some really dark places. But after touching bottom, there's a sense of optimism in the end. Maybe coming from a realization that two people can be a team, not just two individuals who happen to be together."

From the gentle string washes that lap the edges of "Heartbreak World" (a song that balances wistful backward glances with gingerly-held hope of better things to come) to the insistent rhythmic pulse that drives the wind-at-the-back anthem "Detroit Waves," Nathanson demonstrates a mesmerizing attention to detail. Each of Some Mad Hope's dozen songs exudes a distinct personality -- a dynamic that can't help but draw the listener in.

"In a lot of ways, the album is about learning what a relationship really can be," he says. "Some people deal with that when they're 20, some people deal with it in their thirties and some people never do. -- writing and recording these songs genuinely left me with the feeling that, 'wow, this is a real step forward for me, both as an artist and as a person.'"

After relocating from Boston to San Francisco in the early '90s, Nathanson came to prominence on the coffeehouse scene, but before he picked up his acoustic guitar, he was well-schooled in the art of big-riff rock. That grounding has stayed with him to the point where he can still trot out a Kiss cover or whip out a wallet adorned with the visage of Jon Bon Jovi.

Nathanson lived his life as the very model of the modern independent artist, journeying from town to town, logging literally hundreds of thousands of miles, all the while captivating audiences with his confessional songs and spontaneous, uncensored stage banter. This hard work has garnered Nathanson a remarkably devoted following -- folks willing to cross many a state line to spend a couple of hours communing with Matt and his band (and to spread the gospel through an intricate network dedicated to trading recordings of the live shows).

Early self-released discs like 'Ernst,' 'Not Colored too Perfect,' and 'Still Waiting for Spring' gradually raised his profile as the late '90s wore on-- even though he now jokes that "some of the songs sound like I recorded them in my closet." After a few years of honing his live show -- both headlining and opening for artists like Tori Amos, John Mayer, Pink, Guster and OAR -- Nathanson took a detour into the major label ranks for the ambitious 'Beneath These Fireworks.'

"That album was an education in a lot of ways," says Nathanson, who opted to return to self-financing for his next release, the acclaimed solo acoustic live album 'At the Point.' "I felt like I needed to turn the page, and felt a live album would help me do that. People always threw out the idea that I captured [my earlier] songs best live, and I thought I could deal with that head on by doing a live album and moving on."

He does just that on 'Some Mad Hope,' a collection on w