Seether started out as a rock band in South Africa at the turn of the millennium. They proved to be successful in spite of a unreceptive home market, so much so that they caught the attention of Wind-Up Records in the United States. It was a big step to take, but in the end, Seether went to said country, where they went on to become one of the most notable rock bands of the 2000s and 2010s. So far, they have managed to release eight Studio albums. However, it seems safe to say that there will be even more Seether releases in the times to come.
8. Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray
Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray is Seether’s fifth studio album. It is interesting to note that this is the band’s one release that had Troy McLawhorn as the lead guitarist, seeing as how he left the band so that he could return to being the rhythm guitarist for Evanescence. In any case, Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray wasn’t a bad studio album, as shown by how it managed to reach the number two position on the Billboard 200. Unfortunately, something needs to occupy this position, with this losing out because of the formidable competition.
7. Disclaimer
Disclaimer is Seether’s debut studio album. Apparently, its making wasn’t the most pleasant of experiences for the band. As the story goes, Seether was still new at the time, with the result that they had less say compared to their better-established counterparts. However, a bad situation was made even worse by their less than outstanding agent, who let the record label do whatever it wanted. Thanks to that, the recording of Disclaimer took three months compared to its successors’ two weeks, not least because their producer benefited from their use of his recording studio. Still, the result was quite good, more than enough to give Seether more breathing room for their subsequent efforts.
6. Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum
Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum is a famous Latin phrase. Translated, it means something along the lines of, “If you want peace, prepare for war.” Something that has resonated with a lot of people ever since it was penned by Vegetius in late antiquity. In any case, this studio album was a deliberate attempt to move away from mainstream music in preference for the alternative rock of the late 1990s. In particular, it was influenced by A Perfect Circle as well as Deftones. It succeeded in some places but not in others.
5. Disclaimer II
Disclaimer II is Seether’s second studio album. However, it isn’t quite a full-fledged studio album in its own right. This is because Disclaimer II is a recompilation of its immediate predecessor, meaning that it has the same songs but remixed. Still, the studio album is worth mentioning because it contains a fair amount of new material, which consisted of four extra tracks in the European release and eight extra tracks in the American release. In particular, interested individuals might remember the duet version of “Broken” featuring Seether’s frontman Shaun Morgan and his then-girlfriend Amy Lee, which was electric rather than the original acoustic. After all, it was this song’s popularity that provided much of the impetus for the release of Disclaimer II.
4. Poison the Parish
Poison the Parish is one of Seether’s more recent releases. Music-wise, it is heavier than its predecessors, which is the product of a deliberate decision on the part of Shaun Morgan and the other band members. Apparently, less pressure doesn’t mean no pressure because the record label had been pushing for Seether to go in the direction of alternative music. However, while Seether once fit that description, its members felt that they didn’t anymore because alternative music had moved beyond them. As such, Poison the Parish was an attempt to reemphasize their kind of music in a lot of ways. Due to that, it isn’t the most original release ever, but it manages to be a solid release, not least because it was made by a veteran band that had been honing their craft for close to two decades by 2017.
3. Isolate and Medicate
Having said that, while Seether has managed to remain true to themselves, they have been evolving their sound throughout the entire time. For an example, consider Isolate and Medicate, which shows clear similarities to its five predecessors but is nonetheless its own thing. Besides this, the studio album is notable for its consistency, which is to say, it is good throughout with none of the disappointing lows that can mar otherwise enjoyable releases.
2. Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces
It is important to note that Finding Beauty in Negative Space was released after Shaun Morgan’s break-up with Amy Lee. This presumably had a huge impact on his music-making because this studio album featured some of his most personal songs ever. As such, while Finding Beauty in Negative Space has a lot of similarities with its counterparts, it stands out because of its emotional weight. Something that can imbue music with a great deal more punch than what technical details can manage on their own.
1. Karma and Effect
If Isolate and Medicate was consistently good, then Karma and Effect was consistently excellent. It had some serious expectations to live up to by being situated after Disclaimer II. However, this studio album didn’t just meet them. Instead, it outright exceeded them. Even now, songs such as “Remedy” stand as some of Seether’s best, which are good enough to remain worth listening to even though the mid 2000s are a time long since gone.
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