Sevendust and Tremonti

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Sevendust & Tremonti Send Shockwaves to Packed House of Blues House of Blues, Chicago, IL, USA on February 26, 2019
By: Jenafur Schlangen

Let me start off by saying that both of these bands put on one hell of a show! House of Blues was PACKED and the energy throughout the entire venue was beyond contagious, to the point that it was literally impossible to stand still.

SEVENDUST

I don’t care who you are or what you say, the heavy rock band “Sevendust” is legendary. Even though this band is “officially” considered “alternative metal,” I believe they have set the precedent on what I like to refer to as “soul-metal.” It is the low-end, chunky guitar riffs, baselines that seep into your soul, and, speaking of soul….the vocals of Lajon Witherspoon are second to none. Their music is truly a perfect harmony of aggressive meets elation and if you catch them live, I am 100% confident that you’ll agree with me on that.

Sevendust is a five-piece band out of Atlanta, Georgia and was formed way back in 1994. Having taken a couple of years to hone their sound and their members, they released their first (self-titled) album in 1997. It is unbelievable how long this band has been creating, recording, and performing their music and the momentum is far from slowing down. If anything, their time together has only strengthened their core and the performance in Chicago last week was no exception.

Fast forwarding from 1997 to the present time, Sevendust has released 12 albums, their latest dubbed, “All I See is War,” which is proudly displayed on the banner on the back wall of their stage, as it should be. It is a solid album and, again, there is zero momentum lost from their earlier stuff. They started their set with “Dirty,” a song off of the newest album then immediately reverted back to “Denial” from the Home album (1999). The place went nuts! It was awesome!

From personal experience covering music and from being a true fan of Sevendust, I know how often this band tours and it is basically non-stop. They are always out there promoting their originality, their latest album, and meeting their fans in the process. So, when you see a sign or a posting that Sevendust will be playing live in a city near you, do yourself (and your metal soul) a favor and buy a ticket! The likelihood that you will meet a genuinely nice group of people are about 80%, while your chances of immersing yourself into some seriously good music (and environment) are 100%, without a doubt.

Just an fyi – Sevendust is headed “Down Under” (Australia / New Zealand) until late April, but they will be returning to the USA on May 5^th and have several tour dates listed for Spring/Summer 2019.

Tremonti

Maybe you’ve heard of the band Tremonti because of its legendary front-man and founder, Mark Tremonti (Creed / Alter Bridge). Or, maybe you’ve heard of the band, Tremonti because it was that one band that Wolfgang Van Halen played in for a bit. Maybe you have never heard of the band, Tremonti, as was my case (in all honesty). That is, until their explosive set at Chicago’s House of Blues, playing just prior to the legendary band, Sevendust. And, man…what an awesome band! So, whether you have heard of Tremonti or not, I can guarantee you that once you see this band live, you won’t soon forget who they are and will most likely want to see them again….and again.

They started their set with “Cauterize,” which was the title of their second album back in 2012. It didn’t take long for the crowd to get into it and served as the beginning of a level of momentum that only increased as every song passed and another one began.

If I could describe the sound of this band it would be very “Motorhead-ey,” for lack of a better term. And, since Mark Tremonti is a killer guitarist, it is no surprise that all of their tunes surround and intertwine themselves perfectly around Mark’s talent. There are plenty of stand-alone riffs and some impressive solo work as well. It is definitely a guitar-driven band, yet not overwhelming in a way that shuts out the other contributing members. All in all, I would highly recommend checking these guys out if you’re ever in the mood for some aggressive rock. Although, at this time, it is unclear as to when they will be hitting the road again in the future since Mark Tremonti’s main project, Alter Bridge is set to release their latest album this October. It could very well be that his solo project, “Tremonti” may be set aside and, if that is the case, I (along with at least a couple thousand other ear holes) am lucky to have had the chance to see them live this time around. ��

Sevendust – Set List: