While Sevendust are often grouped alongside the biggest names of the nü-metal era, frontman Lajon Witherspoon says the band never truly felt like they were part of that scene.
Speaking in a newly published interview with Metal Hammer, Witherspoon reflected on Sevendust’s place in the late 1990s and early 2000s explosion of nü-metal, explaining that the Georgia-based band often felt like outsiders compared to many of their more commercially successful contemporaries.
Despite earning three gold-certified albums — Sevendust, Home, and Animosity — the band never reached the mainstream heights achieved by acts such as Korn, Linkin Park, Deftones, System Of A Down, Coal Chamber, and Incubus.
Looking back, Witherspoon believes the band’s unique identity helped set them apart from the pack.
“I didn’t necessarily think we were nü-metal. We were just these guys from Georgia that popped up on TVT Records, and all these other cats were hanging out in California.”
Unlike many of the genre’s defining acts, Sevendust emerged from Atlanta, Georgia, a region not typically associated with the nü-metal boom. While fellow Atlanta outfit Stuck Mojo helped pioneer elements of rap metal and nü-metal, the scene was largely dominated by bands from California.
Witherspoon admitted that, early on, Sevendust often felt like they had something to prove.
“They had a certain chemistry with each other, and we were kinda like the odd man out and had to prove we could whip ass. So that’s what we did and stayed in our lane.”
However, he noted that any distance between the bands eventually faded over time.
“There wasn’t that kind of camaraderie at the beginning, but over the years, we became friends with everyone.”
While Sevendust may not have fit neatly into the nü-metal mold, their blend of alternative metal, southern influences, melodic songwriting, and Lajon Witherspoon’s soulful vocal approach helped carve out a unique identity that has sustained the band for nearly three decades.
In hindsight, being the “odd man out” may have ultimately contributed to the longevity and consistency that have made Sevendust one of the most respected bands to emerge from that era.
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