Album Review: Seether, The Surface Seems So Far, out Sept. 20

Written By Christian Cole, OOTB Publications

Whether you like them or not, it is nearly impossible to discuss post-grunge music without at LEAST citing Seether. Formed in South Africa in 1999 and finding fame soon after in 2002 with the chart topping single “Fine Again,” the band is no stranger to success.

Now they’re preparing for the release of their ninth full-length studio album The Surface Seems So Far (Fantasy Records), an eleven-track LP produced by frontman Shaun Morgan himself and mixed and engineered by Matt Hyde.

This album is a great showcase of a very popular band that’s still doing things right, a quarter of a century in. Sure, there are incredibly minuscule moments that feel overproduced, but it’s greatly overshadowed by the fact that these guys REALLY still feel what they do.

The album is jam packed full of emotion and hits so much harder than I’d expect. As someone who stepped away from this specific sound after graduating high school, I found myself quite shocked that this far into their career Seether can be this heavy (for the genre, of course) and incredibly fresh.

Where it seems that most bands of their stature and style these days are drifting further into the realms of pop music, that is not what we get here. What we do get is a band that still feels sharp and caring and poise. It manages to be a refreshing and inspiring listen, which truth be told, caught me very off guard.

If you’re a long time fan, you’re going to be quite happy to see that these guys still do it right. If you’re coming in fairly new, I think you’ll find a lot of good in this release as well.

It’s post-grunge being as good as it can possibly be, while the guys in Seether have aged and the lineup has changed over the years, the sound remains the same, but not in a stale and sad way. This is a band that found their formula and stuck to it, and for that I’ve got to give praise.

You can stream the singles “Illusion” and “Judas Mind” now anywhere music is being streamed and the LP is set for release Sept. 20; so, if these guys are high up on your roster, I’d mark your calendars, because this album is bound to bring you joy.

Rating

3.9/5

Favorite Tracks

“Semblance of Me,” “Same Mistakes”

Tracklist