Maya Angelou once stated, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

For over three decades, Sevendust have made countless fans feel a part of something special. The group’s community isn’t passive. Members of the “7D Army” make a very active commitment to being part of this family—as evinced by sold-out shows worldwide and innumerable tattoos of the band’s logo and lyrics. Since 1994, the iconic Atlanta quintet have quietly built a legacy without parallel, encompassing sales of nearly eight million albums, a GRAMMY® Award nomination for “Best Metal Performance,” three Top 15 entries on the Billboard 200, hundreds of millions of streams, and the fierce loyalty of millions of listeners in every corner of the globe. Along the way, they’ve shined as an outlier equally comfortable on tracks with either members of Deftones, Creed, and Periphery or Xzibit and Daughtry. Speaking to their longevity, they notably notched their biggest radio success to date with “Everything” in 2024, netting a career-high entry on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. However, the guys really delivered with 2026’s ONE [Napalm Records].

Sevendust’s 15th full-length LP forges ten simultaneously lean and gut-punching tracks out of gargantuan riffs, seismic grooves, and signature soul-stirring hooks. Rallying together around a common goal as bandmates and brothers, Lajon Witherspoon [vocals], Clint Lowery [lead guitar, backing vocals], John Connolly [lead guitar, backing vocals], Vince Hornsby [bass], and Morgan Rose [drums] have crafted a body of work that both day-one devotees and new fans alike can hold onto forever.

“The five original members are united as one,” observes John. “We’ve been through a lot. While we solidify who we are as Sevendust, we believe there’s no reason we can’t get tighter and better. We’re very connected on this album.”

“Through this record, we got closer than ever,” agrees Morgan. “There were times when the closeness was definitely tested. When you endure a tough time as a family, everyone’s true colors show. When I put the band together, it wasn’t based on talent. It was really about how the other guys were as human beings. I wanted to enjoy being around everybody. The chemistry initially bonded us. On the new record, we cared about each other so much that it brought us back to the beginning when it was like, ‘Man, I love the guys next to me’.”

“Over thirty years later, the fact that we’re in the best place emotionally together is our legacy,” smiles Clint. “We’ve maintained our relationships with each other and our relationship with the fans. They’re part of this ONE too.”

Sevendust had kept busy on the road in the wake of 2023’s unanimously acclaimed Truth Killer. V13 spotlighted it with a cover story, Consequence hailed the music as “hard-hitting,” and Guitar World marveled at how, “more than 25 years after releasing their gold-selling self-titled debut, Sevendust’s music still has plenty of bite.” Not only did they launch a successful co-headline jaunt with Static-X, but they also celebrated the 21st anniversary of the seminal gold-selling Seasons as well as the Southside Double-Wide Acoustic Live album on the road. In between, they found a pocket of time to decamp to Lajon’s farmhouse in Kansas. They lived together and even took turns cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner for each other. Getting down to business, the musicians instinctually congregated around a shared vision, and they rooted the songs in raw riffing. With writing complete, they ventured to Florida in order to record with producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette [Alter Bridge, Falling In Reverse, Mammoth] once again.

“I had a great time doing the programming for Truth Killer, but those elements take a bit of a backseat on ONE,” Clint reveals. “There are layers of keys, synths, and strings. They’re just not nearly as predominant. We definitely relied on the guitar to build textures. Some sounds may seem like electronic elements, but they aren’t. The intention was to make a more guitar-based record.”

“We got back to how we approached our first few records,” John posits. “Even Seasons was very stripped-down. There was no programming at all. We hit the sweet spot here of what we like to call ‘Soul Metal’.”

“You could feel the brotherhood at the farmhouse,” grins Lajon. “It gave us the passion and energy to come up with some hard-hitting songs. We knew we had something special. Once Elvis got on board, we brought it to life.”

Now, the group bust down the door with the single “Is This The Real You?” Its swaggering fretwork alternately wallops and gallops in lockstep with a pummeling rhythm anchored by thunderous drums. The riff rolls and seethes, and the vocals swing from guttural grows into the embrace of a jazz-y chantable chorus, “Your head’s in the clouds. You don’t know where to find it. Is this the real you? Where you been?” A hummable lead ties the bridge together.

“I’m basically asking a person, ‘Is this how you want to be portrayed? Is this eternal, or is it just for a little while? Is it a mask?’,” Lajon wonders. “I think it’s relatable.”

“The song was the perfect habitat for LJ’s vocals,” Clint goes on. “It has a major hook and some R&B DNA. Thematically, you can sum it up as, ‘Cut the crap. Be your absolute true yourself: the one who’s not changing just to adapt to other people’.”

“It was as honest, natural, and pure as any song can be,” John elaborates. “If you really want to know what Sevendust sounds like in 2026, ‘Is This The Real You?’ gives you a good idea.”

Echoes of a tensely picked single-note set the tone for “Threshold.” Lajon’s delicate delivery gives way to a contentious distortion-boosted refrain, “You want another piece of me, don’t ya? To break apart so you get what you wanted?”

“You’ve reached your breaking point,” Lajon comments. “You’re thinking, ‘What’s next? Did we make it to the threshold?’ It’s exactly how I was feeling.”

Then, there’s “Unbreakable,” which has all the makings of a clarion call for the collective and a future live staple. Strains of soft piano slips into the undertow of a towering hook punctuated by a promise, “We were meant to be unbreakable…even when we’re at our lowest lows. And if it gets too cold, I’ll never let you go.”

“It falls in line with the general message of struggling, leaning on each other, and relying on God or whatever it is that gives you hope to make it out,” Clint elaborates. “There will be trials and tests, and we’re meant to get through them.”

“All of us are unbreakable, man,” affirms Lajon. “As crazy as the world is, music has gotten us through everything.”

The title track succinctly sums up the record as a whole. Bellowing out of a maelstrom of roaring distortion, Lajon’s voice reaches heavenly heights, “None of this matters in the end, we’re not alone in suffering, we all know we go down like the sun, all we need is one.”

“Clint came to the table with the idea,” Lajon continues. “It tells a story and speaks on us as a band. It’s about how we’ve matured, where we’ve been, and who we are now as men.”

Ultimately, they are now and always Sevendust.

“Sevendust is bigger than us,” Clint leaves off. “There is unity among the people who come to our shows. The way they still show up for us is incredible. Sevendust is my family. I love my brothers more than ever. We have complete trust, and I thank God for that. We still care. We still put the work on. This is still directly from us to you.”

“I’ve been emotional 100 times in the last two years at meet-and-greets,” adds Morgan. “We put our music out there, and we didn’t even realize how much it was helping people. So, our job is just to continue to help anybody who needs it.” — Rick Florino

Theory Of A Deadman haveblazed their own path as one of the most unapologetic forces in the rockworld today with several multi-platinum hits, albums and sold out shows worldwide. Combining witty,candid songwriting with incontrovertible riffs and melodic choruses, the Canadianband–comprised ofTyler Connolly, Dean Back, Dave Brenner and Joe Dandeneau–has transcended the zeitgeist, persistingas a multi-faceted rock powerhouse.Including hits like the fan favorite “Santa Monica"; the gold-certified “All Or Nothing"; the platinum-certified “Hate My Life” and “Bitch Came Back"; the double-platinum “Not Meant To Be"–the quartet has notched twelve songs in the Top 10 on the BillboardMainstream Rock Chart with four of those being #1s, the set staples “Bad Girlfriend,” “Lowlife,” “HistoryOf Violence” & “Rx (Medicate).” The latter being the biggestsmash of their career thus far, garneringthem a nomination for “Rock Song of the Year” at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. The band has loggedtwo Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200,four Top 5 debuts on Billboard’s Canadian Albums Chart,nominated for five Juno Awards, and has earned high praise from American Songwriter, Billboard, andClassic Rock Magazine and various other publications. Now, the foursome once again deliver a triumphin their latest studio effort, Funeral Songs, Vol 1–the first part of two EPs, undeniably anthemic andundeniably rock and roll including the songs “Barricade” and “Winnebago (Lay Low)” with much more to come.

Every ending sparks a new beginning. Return to Dust embodies the sound of shedding the weight of the past while embracing the promise of tomorrow. The Los Angeles-based quartet—Matty Bielawski [guitar, vocals], Graham Stanush [bass, vocals], Sebastian Gonzalez [guitar], and London Hudson [drums]— brings a fresh perspective to alternative rock.

The band settled in Los Angeles to record with producer Jim Kaufman [Everclear, Danny Worsnop, Night Riots, Helmet]. 2024 saw them unveil their independent self-titled full-length debut, Return To Dust, including standout single “Belly Up” which rose through the Active Rock chart  and was praised by Distorted Sound as “a grungy, punky thrill ride,” while Revolver applauded the group’s “Alice In Chains-inspired form of modern-day grunge.”

In the aftermath, they lit up the stages at major festivals like Inkarceration, Welcome To Rockville, and Sonic Temple and joined rock legends Chevelle and Sevendust as support on tour. Signing to LAVA Records/Republic Records with more music on the horizon, the group is poised to stand at the forefront of the next generation of rock music, beginning with their 2025 EP Speak Like The Dead.