Seether

One of the more enduring acts to come out of the post-grunge/alternative metal boom of the early 2000s, South Africa’s Seether have managed to remain true to their roots while maintaining enough forward-thinking momentum to stay relevant. The group broke into the mainstream in 2002 with the active rock hit “Fine Again” and cemented their status at the fore of the scene two years later with the international hit “Broken,” which featured guest vocals from Amy Lee of Evanescence. Subsequent singles like 2005′s “Remedy” and 2007′s “Fake It” charted high for such a heavy band, while Seether’s full-length work also proved popular: 2011′s Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray and 2014′s Isolate and Medicate both reached the Top Five in the U.S. The group continued to find success into the next decade, releasing Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum and The Surface Seems So Far in 2020 and 2024, respectively. Comprising members Shaun Morgan (vocals, guitar), Dale Stewart (bass), John Humphrey (drums), and Corey Lowery (rhythm guitar), Seether emerged in 1999 as Saron Gas (a name taken from the back of a sound-effects compilation) and released their debut album, Fragile, the following year on Musketeer Records. In a country whose musical tastes center around pop and Indigenous music, Fragile found impressive chart success. Across the Atlantic, the U.S.-based Wind-Up Records caught wind of the group’s growing popularity and signed the South African bandmates, who changed their name to Seether, given that sarin gas is the name of a lethal nerve agent used in chemical warfare. An EP release and a spot on the Ozzfest tour preceded the unveiling of Seether’s full-length debut in the summer of 2002. Issued that August, Disclaimer featured the modern rock single “Fine Again” and led to a year-long tour, during which singer Morgan’s relationship with Evanescence siren Amy Lee blossomed. But while the tour ensured increasing commercial status for Seether, it also delayed the band’s return to the studio. In March 2004, a few tracks appeared on the Punisher soundtrack, including a duet version of Disclaimer’s “Broken” featuring vocal contributions from Lee. Disclaimer II appeared that June, collecting a handful of new tracks with remixed or re-recorded versions of the previous album’s tracks. Seether viewed the record as an opportunity to re-evaluate their debut’s release (whose mix was, according to the band, subpar) and give listeners new content as a holdover until a proper follow-up. The promised sophomore effort, Karma and Effect, was released in May 2005 and entered the Top Ten, while the acoustic CD/DVD package One Cold Night appeared in 2006. Following Morgan’s breakup with Amy Lee and a successful stint in rehab, Seether returned in 2007 with Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces, introducing the album with the snide and catchy single “Fake It.” In 2009 the bandmembers took a break from touring and headed into the studio with producer Brendan O'Brien to work on their fifth album. They went back out on the road for another year before eventually releasing Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray in 2011. Isolate and Medicate, the group’s sixth studio long-player, appeared in 2014, and shot to the top of Billboard’s Top Rock, Alternative, and Hard Rock charts. In February 2017, Seether released “Let You Down,” the first single from their much-anticipated seventh studio long-player, Poison the Parish, which arrived later that May. They toured the album in the U.S., first with support guitarist Clint Lowery (Sevendust), then his brother Corey (Saint Asonia); the latter went on to become the band’s permanent second guitarist. They hit the studio in Nashville in late 2019 to record their eighth album, Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum. The set, whose Latin title means “If you want peace, prepare for war,” was released in 2020 and spawned the active rock hits “Dangerous” and “Bruised & Bloodied.” In 2021 the band issued the companion EP Wasteland: The Purgatory with a deluxe edition of Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum appearing in 2022. Two years later, Seether returned with their hard-hitting ninth full-length The Surface Seems So Far, further solidifying their reputation for pairing unrelenting aggression with deep introspection. ~ Bradley Torreano & Andrew Leahey