Cold Day Memory

Old-school fans of Sevendust should be stoked on the band’s eighth studio album as it finds original guitarist Clint Lowery back in the band (he left in 2003 to pursue work with Dark New Day). “Splinter” opens with heavy, sternum-rattling riffs going head-to-head with dexterous metal-shredding before Witherspoon comes in growling like Gene Simmons on “God Of Thunder.” The album’s first single “Unraveling” is an obvious jewel polished with big shiny guitars that contrast melody with muscle and purgative lyrics (co-penned by Lowery) about the destruction of a relationship. More personal tension is explored on “Confessions (Without Faith),” a harmonious and matured sounding number that touches on Lowery quitting and returning to Sevendust. In aiming for radio airplay, “Karma” abounds with electronic flourishes reminiscent of ‘90s industrial rock, as does the more moody and brooding “Ride Insane,” though the latter leans harder on the bludgeoning riffs of post-grunge guitar distortion and a chorus loaded with barbed hooks honed to grapple your memory.