Sevendust emerged from Atlanta, Georgia, a decade ago, leaps and bounds ahead of the countless alternative heavy rock bands plying their wares at the time. Lajon's dark, soulful, R&B influenced vocals perfectly complemented his angst-ridden lyrics that were as angry as they were introspective, the band's bone-crushing sound and consistent sense of melody completing a magical modern metal formula which soon won over legions of fans.

Sevendust's debut, hard-hitting, self-titled album, released on TVT Records in 1997, established the band at the forefront of the US hard rock scene with its bottom-heavy pure metal guitar riffs complemented by surprisingly accessible soulful melodies. A relentless touring schedule the length and breadth of the States ensured that the album was certified gold within months of release, marking sales of over half a million copies.

Since then, Sevendust have played every stage between Los Angeles and New York, (usually many times over), built one of the most dedicated fan bases around and sold nearly 4 million records in the US alone, each of their subsequent 3 albums, 'Home' (1999), 'Animosity' (2001) and 'Seasons' (2003) going gold on release and nudging platinum within months.

Then in 2004 Sevendust parted company with their management, record label, and guitarist Clint Lowery. The band were at something of a major crossroads in their career, but, as in the past, strife brought them even closer and more determined than ever.

Sevendust decided to strike out on their own, recording what would become 'Next' before they had a label to put it out on. "There were people who were saying 'Oh my God, the ship's taking on water,'" remembers Witherspoon. "Our ship never took on water. We were a stronger force than that."

Enter close friend and former Snot, Amen and Hed(p.e.) guitarist Sonny Mayo, who the band had known since their early years. "It was a dream come true," Lajon Witherspoon declares enthusiastically. "Working with him was an inspiration, considering the things that he's overcome in his own life and career. To see his passion gave us a lot of energy again."

The band started hammering out ideas in John Connolly's dining room in January of 2005. They knew that they had found a direction for the album when 'Hero', the first cut on 'Next', came together. Far heavier than anything the band has written in a while - maybe ever - the song is a Sevendust classic, with its bone-crunching riff and driving chorus.

Another heavy slab of Sevendust came together soon after that in the form of 'Ugly', which Connolly explains by simply saying, "Yeah, it's a break-up song, but it's our take on it." "It's a pissed off record as a whole," Witherspoon notes. "But there's a lot of melody on it, despite all the aggression you'll find on there."

However, everything in this world has a polar opposite and the same is true of 'Next'. "We try to push the boundaries every time we step into the studio," proclaims Witherspoon. "So, since we pushed the heavy side so far, we knew it was equally important to push the opposite direction." 'This Life', inspired by and dedicated to Connolly's newborn daughter, is the closest song on the record to a ballad. "That was written on the day my wife and I went for the first doctor's visit when I could hear the heartbeat," recalls Connolly. "That was an inspirational day. In the middle of all our angry songs, I thought it would be cool to have one song that's a little more experimental and a little more positive."

"'Angel's Son' (on 2001's 'Animosity' album) let us know that we were capable of doing mellower, ballad-y stuff," asserts Witherspoon. "And we all started out jamming on acoustic guitars, so this kind of stuff is in our roots." 'Shadows In Red' is the other quieter moment in the midst of the raging storm, an all-acoustic song that features a live string section and one of the band's most daring moments on tape. "As we grew up, things started changing: new babies were born and people passed away, so the songs had to change," Witherspoon says by way of explanation. "Not everything was the heaviest thing in the world and I wasn't always mad at the world. That song came out of me realizing that."

Since Witherspoon had several months to play with the words before recording began, he crafted what is undoubtedly Sevendust's most lyrically honest and confessional album yet. "It's about relationships, life, loneliness, overcoming the fear of being alone, and getting to know yourself," he confides. "I feel very blessed to be able to write what's on my heart on this album and that came through."

With the songs honed and the lyrics complete, the fivesome decamped in February 2005 to a house-turned-studio outside of Orlando, Florida, where Creed had laid down 'Weathered'. There was a pool table, Jacuzzi, jukebox and swimming pool to provide distraction, but the point of this location was to solely work on the recording process. "It made for a few late nights, but a lot of camaraderie," reveals Rose. "You can spend $1500 an hour on a studio or you can buy a ProTools rig and set it up anywhere," proclaims Connolly. "It was definitely a challenge, but this record sounds better than any we've ever done." The band chose to self-produce the sessions and spent two months in hardcore work mode, perfecting the songs that would make up 'Next'.

"We didn't try to reinvent the wheel," comments guitarist John Connolly. "But what we did do is take everything we learned over the last ten years and squeeze it into 50 minutes."

After two months of non-stop recording, in the spring of 2005, without a record to promote or a single on the radio, Sevendust did what they do best: they hit the road. Unsure of what fans reaction would be, the band were more than pleasantly surprised when every date sold out and the fans gave them rave reviews of the pair of new songs they slipped into the set lists each night. "It went so well, I didn't want to come home," admits Witherspoon with a laugh.

On October 10th 2005 Sevendust release 'Next', their most accomplished, heartfelt, unfettered album ever.