Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces [PA] (CD - 2007)

Personnel: Shaun Morgan (vocals, guitar); Space (guitar); Howard Benson (keyboards, programming); John Humphrey (drums).

Additional personnel: Space (guitars); Howard Benson.

Audio Mixer: Chris Lord-Alge.

Recording information: Bay 7 Studios, Valley Village, CA; Sparky Dark, Calabasas, CA.

Illustrator: David Ho.

Photographer: Scott D.

With 2007's FINDING BEAUTY IN NEGATIVE SPACES, the Los Angeles-based heavy-rock band Seether tones down the dark mood of KARMA & EFFECT in favor of a more energetic, straight-ahead sound. Reinvigorated by a stint in rehab, South African-born vocalist/guitarist Shaun Morgan, whose singing often recalls that of Metallica's James Hetfield, has an enthusiastic intensity that's evident on the swaggering "Fake It" and the urgent "6 Gun Quota," making for one of Seether's most lively albums.

Seether's lead singer/songwriter, Shaun Morgan, is an unabashed, unapologetic worshiper of Kurt Cobain, using Nirvana's sound as a template for Seether and, more importantly, interpreting Kurt's teenage angst as something entirely un-ironic and confessional. This is a pretty skewed reading of Nirvana but not an uncommon one, and there have been scores of bands that have devoted their careers to ironing out every quirk in Cobain's legacy, with Seether being one of the more prominent of this legion in the new millennium. In Morgan's interpretation of Nirvana, music is just a vehicle for emotional catharsis and boy did he ever have a lot to get off his chest in 2007, as in the previous year he lost a guitarist; was subjected to the humiliation of his ex, Amy Lee, pretty much writing an entire album about him on Evanescence's The Open Door (including the withering hit single "Call Me When You're Sober"); and did a stint in rehab. All this turmoil is evident on their third proper album, Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces, an over-written title that hints at Morgan's propensity for purple prose (but not his predilection for profanity; the F-word powers more than a few choruses here). Those words -- tortured and tormented, entirely too literal -- are at the center of Finding Beauty as Morgan doesn't really have an interest in musical development, just pouring out his soul. It's a bit odd that he pairs these naked emotional bloodlettings to music that is jacked-up and overly polished generic active rock that all blends together -- "Rise Above This" the one midtempo tune with an identifiable melodic hook stands out -- but for all his angst, he doesn't really put a unique spin on it; they come across like clichés, not confessions. And so, Finding Beauty winds up being sung clichés over musical clichés, heartfelt but not exactly heart-rending. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Seether's lead singer/songwriter, Shaun Morgan, is an unabashed, unapologetic worshiper of Kurt Cobain, using Nirvana's sound as a template for Seether and, more importantly, interpreting Kurt's teenage angst as something entirely un-ironic and confessional. This is a pretty skewed reading of Nirvana but not an uncommon one, and there have been scores of bands that have devoted their careers to ironing out every quirk in Cobain's legacy, with Seether being one of the more prominent of this legion in the new millennium. In Morgan's interpretation of Nirvana, music is just a vehicle for emotional catharsis and boy did he ever have a lot to get off his chest in 2007, as in the previous year he lost a guitarist; was subjected to the humiliation of his ex, Amy Lee, pretty much writing an entire album about him on Evanescence's The Open Door (including the withering hit single "Call Me When You're Sober"); and did a stint in rehab. All this turmoil is evident on their third proper album, Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces, a title that hints at Morgan's propensity for purple prose (but not his predilection for profanity; the F-word powers more than a few choruses here). Those tortured and tormented words are at the center of Finding Beauty as Morgan pours out his soul, pairing naked emotional bloodlettings with jacked-up and overly polished active rock. He doesn't really put a unique spin on his angst, although "Rise Above This," a midtempo tune with an identifiable melodic hook, stands out. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine minimize