Sevendust Are Down with the Nü-Metal Revival
Some bands bristle at the nü-metal label and for understandable reasons; despite the genre’s high-water marks, it produced as many or more derivative and downright bad albums, bands and style changes. Sevendust, however, are not one of those bands. In a recent interview, frontman Lajon Witherspoon discussed the label and explained that, while he may not associate Sevendust with any one genre, he isn’t going to brush off a label that will put more eyes on the band.
“All right, so, listen, I don’t know who made that word up. I think it’s amazing that you can just make up a word and all of a sudden you have a big following of people that are like, ‘Yeah.’ But I would rather be ‘nu metal’ than ‘old metal.’ So with that being said, I feel like we were put in that era because we were in it, but it’s fine.
“I feel like we’re a rock and roll, soulful rock band, metal band, soulful metal band, whatever you wanna call it — I don’t know — nu metal. It’s funny. I don’t mind being in that category because I feel it’s awesome that music is resurging and we’re not letting a movement get away from us and get so far away that we don’t even like it or listen to it anymore. I think it’s a beautiful thing that it’s coming back around. These bands have a chance to share that music and that energy, and maybe that’s what we need right now, to have those type of memories back in our lives, to build it back up to that good feeling, and if that’s what it takes, man, I’m behind it.”
It’s interesting that Witherspoon focuses on the nostalgia factor of the movement; it doesn’t seem like the singer is focused on breaking new ground so much as he is on celebrating what made the original movement great to him. He did draw a line in the sand, though: DJ nights.
“Last night I got an offer to host a ‘nu metal’ show in Texas. I’m, like, ‘What does that mean?’ ‘Oh yeah, man. You’ll be the DJ, and you’ll get a setlist and you’ll play all the nu metal songs and even maybe sing over.’ And I’m, like, ‘Oh, I don’t know. I’m not gonna sing over anyone’s else song.’ I said, ‘It might be interesting if you pay me enough cash to do it.’
