SEVENDUST Announces 'Truth Killer' Album, Shares 'Fence' Single

Grammy Award-nominated band SEVENDUST will release its fourteenth studio album, "Truth Killer", on July 28 via the band's new label home, Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2020's "Blood & Stone" was once again tracked at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who has previously worked with ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH, among others.

"Truth Killer" showcases that the original and current SEVENDUST lineup — comprised of Lajon Witherspoon, Clint Lowery, John Connolly, Vince Hornsby and Morgan Rose — sounds as relevant today as it did on its 1997 self-titled debut. "Truth Killer" is now available for pre-order in multiple configurations.

From the introspective opening of "I Might Let The Devil Win" to the classic SEVENDUST sound of "Fence", the twelve songs on "Truth Killer" demonstrate the diverse style that has won the band a legion of loyal fans. "Truth Killer", "Everything" and "Holy Water" combine elements of the classic SEVENDUST sound with modern updates, pointing their lyrical lens at the world today. The first song released is the album closer "Fence", out now and accompanied by a claymation music video directed and animated by Ollie Jones. The video tells the story of a chemical leak during a SEVENDUST show that causes the band to turn in to zombies — but SEVENDUST will live forever!

"Truth Killer" track listing:

01. I Might Let The Devil Win
02. Truth Killer
03. Won't Stop The Bleeding
04. Everything
05. No Revolution
06. Sick Mouth
07. Holy Water
08. Leave Hell Behind
09. Superficial Drug
10. Messenger
11. Love And Hate
12. Fence

In a February 2023 interview with "The Mistress Carrie Podcast", Lowery stated about "Truth Killer": "I'm very stoked about the record. A lot of bands say that. I'm amazed we're still making music we love and we're not phoning it in. We worked really hard on it."

Clint previously talked about the upcoming SEVENDUST LP in an interview with "Good Company With Scott Bowling". At the time, he said: "I'm really excited about this record. We did that with Elvis Baskette. He's got his vibe. And this will be our third record with him."

Lowery went on to say that he has had to step away from the new SEVENDUST album after it was completed.

"I've listened to it, I've not liked it, I loved it, I hated it, and then I fell back in love with it," he explained.

"When I'm finished with a record, I really… That one took a lot out of me creatively, which is amazing that I even went for [a new solo] EP to do myself [shortly after finishing the SEVENDUST LP], 'cause I was kind of tapped out creatively. I couldn't even listen to the record afterwards. It was mixed and I heard it, and Elvis did a great job, but it was, like, 'I've gotta put it away for a while.' And I put it on the other day to listen to it, and I'm, 'Oh, man, this is gonna be good. People are gonna really dig it.' I think it's one of the best [records] we've done in a while, man."

Last June, SEVENDUST drummer Morgan Rose said that the writing session for the band's upcoming album was his "favorite" of SEVENDUST's career. "Just 5 guys in a farm house, creating," he wrote on Instagram. "Telling each other how much we love each other, supporting each other, enjoying being together. No outsiders, no drama, no bullshit. Just us…. The songs are magical, the vibe of the record is magical, our relationship with each other is magical."

In December 2021, SEVENDUST released a digital expanded edition of "Blood & Stone". "Blood & Stone Deluxe" contained five new tracks, including three never-before-released remixes and two newly recorded songs. Jake Bowen of PERIPHERY, Richard Wicander of FIRE FROM THE GODS and Justin deBlieck, formerly of ICE NINE KILLS, provided remixes and the band finished recording "All I Really Know" and "What You Are" specifically for this release. "Blood & Stone Deluxe" was released via all digital partners via Rise Records.

Also last June, Rose told "The Jasta Show" that SEVENDUST wouldn't hit the road in support of its next studio album until 2023. He also revealed that "there's not gonna be many [tours] left, I'll just tell you that. I'm gonna be the one to let all the cats out of the bag, but I can just tell you that we're not gonna be around, full-fledged, forever, that's for sure," he added cryptically.

In March 2022, Witherspoon told St. Louis Post-Dispatch that "Blood & Stone" showed SEVENDUST is "still standing the test of time. It was great to do the album with [Baskette] in Florida again. It was a good time. We wanted to hit [listeners] hard and let them know we still got it and that we're not afraid to put slower songs out there too."

As for the decision to release a "deluxe" version of the LP, Lajon said: "We wanted to put some extra songs out there, B-sides that people hadn't heard. It's a little more of a treat."

Photo credit: Chuck Brueckmann