Seether originally formed in 1999 under the name Saron Gas. The band is based out of Pretoria, South Africa, and went by their original name until 2002, when they finally adopted the name Seether. This is also around the same time they grew into the mainstream popularity they deserved, and had their first number one hit here in the US, "Fine Again." The band has been known for their alternative metal / hard rock sound ever since, but before we get onto their hits and what all they're up to today, we have to go back to the beginning. As already established, they formed in 1999 under the name Saron Gas. It didn't take them long to release their first album, as they made their debut with Fragile in 2000. The album was only released in South Africa, though seven of the tracks were later re-recorded for 'Seether's' debut album, Disclaimer. After they released the album, their record label at the time, Wind-Up Records asked them to change their name. Because apparently, Saon Gas was a homophone for sarin gas, which was a deadly nerve agent that was used in Nazi Germany. After having that brought to their attention, the band decided on the name Seether, after a Veruca Salt song with the same name. The band has had quite a few lineup changes, mostly in the early stages though. Shaun Morgan has always been their front man and lead guitarist, Dale Stewart has always been Seether's bassist, and John Humphrey has been their drummer since 2003. We couldn't find a lot of information regarding who else was involved in the founding, or who left for what reasons. All we really could find was that they have on and off had other lead guitarists, two other drummers briefly, and a different bassist, but only under the original name. Due to the short life of Saron Gas, we couldn't find a lot of information regarding that period, but Seether made its debut in 2002 with Disclaimer. The album came out out on August 20, 2002, and peaked at 92 on the Billboard 200. It has since has been given a Gold certification here in the US. The three singles from this album have grown to be among some of Seether's greatest hits. Those songs are, "Fine Again", "Driven Under", and "Gasoline." Many compared the sound to early 1990's grunge, and actually compared Shaun's vocals to that of Kurt Cobain's. It drew in a lot of attention, and even allowed them to go on a world tour with Evanescence. This actually lead to Amy Lee and Shaun Morgan dating for a while and her being featured on what became another massive hit for Seether, "Broken."They actually had previously released it, but supposedly, the record company wished they do so. Clearly, it was a great choice because that single alone holds a Gold Certification here in the US and a Platinum certification in Australia. It also is thought to be the only Top 40 hit because it hit mainstream charts, not just rock charts. The song was featured on the band's second album, Disclaimer II, which is a twenty track album that features all of Disclaimer in it. It came out on June 15, 2004, just passing its 12th birthday. Why they didn't just release an eight track album, featuring both versions of "Broken" (With and without Amy Lee), is a mystery to me. They actually said that the main reason the album got re-worked was because of the popularity of "Broken" anyways, so that all seemed just a bit silly to me. It didn't take them too long to release third third full length album, which was all originals. The third album, Karma And Effect came out on May 24, 2005, and was originally named Catering to Cowards. But the record label demanded they change it, so it became Karma And Effect. The album debuted in the top forty in many countries, including the US, Australia, and New Zealand. The lead single "Remedy" also became a massive hit for Seether, and it stated in Mainstream Rock charts for quite a while. It has also gone gold in the US and Canada, if that tells you anything about the success. While supporting the album, Seether ended up recording an acoustic performance in Philadelphia, which became their first (and currently only) DVD. The show happened on February 22, 2006, and supposedly, that night Shaun had some sort of stomach bug and decided to do an acoustic show so there was a show still, but easier on his body. They released it as a DVD called One Cold Night on July 11, 2006. The DVD came with a CD and featured 12 acoustic tracks, and the concert performance as well. In it, they performed songs like, "Gasoline", "Driven Under", "Broken", "Remedy", "Fine Again", and more. Even a cover of Pearl Jam's "Immortality." This album also hit charts, but the only charts we could find were here in the US. It reached number 50 on the Billboard 200, and number 20 on the Rock Albums charts. You can find this, along with all of Seether's work on iTunes and Amazon. Just before the release of the DVD, their guitarist, Patrick Callahan decided to depart from the band. He didn't give a reason, but somehow it came out that he was not happy with Seether's new music. Shaun was once quoted saying he was relieved by it and Patrick had always been a bit of a negative force in regards to the writing process. So, this was a step in the right direction, as far as Shaun was concerned. Then just after the release of the DVD, in August of 2006, Shaun went into rehab to get some help with alcoholism. As far as I know, he is still clean to this day, but I could be wrong. Once he came back, it would be assumed that he felt refreshed, free, and possibly a bit inspired. I say that because then came another Seether album. This one was thought to be the most diverse album yet. Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces is what I would call the true 'hit' for Seether. Obviously, they've been very successful up to this point, but this one is definitely a hit. It reached the top ten on six different charts here in the US, as well as Canada, and New Zealand. It also broke the top forty in Switzerland and the UK. This album spread much further than the rest had so far, and has Gold certifications in the US, South Africa, New Zealand and Canada. Its actually the first one for the band to go Gold in their homeland of South Africa as well. You may be seeing a pattern here with what I'm about to say here, but its just proof that Seether knows how to put out great music and definitely picks their singles well. I think I've said this about almost every album so far, but I'm just going to say it -the singles became some of the biggest hits for Seether. This album produced "Fake It", "Rise Above This", and "Breakdown." Chances are, you've heard all three songs, and may not even be aware of it. "Rise Above This" has actually inspired the name for an annual music festival, that always features Seether. It was the second single to come out, but the first is one that's a lot of fun and frankly should have been called "Fucking hypocrite." "Fake It" works just as well, but if you listen to the song, that title would have fit too. When they posted "Fake It" via MySpace (yes, that's how old this album is, believe it or not), the band included a short blurb about the album. It was almost like they were re-branding themselves, but all at once, they honestly stayed very true to their sound. The blurb said; "Here we are, about to embark on the release of our favorite Seether record to date and can guarantee that you will all feel the same. Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces is a hearty serving of the usual Seether sting and grit with an added twist of lime. We have been working hard in the studio for months recording the album and there are only a few loose ends to cinch up before all is said and done. We can't wait to hit the road to share the new shit with everyone. In the meantime the remolded site should make it easier for you guys to share your undying love for us, keep up with everyone, and get all the news that will pass through here in coming weeks. The album is dedicated to Eugene "Junior" Welgemoed. Junior has always offered the band more support and love than we've ever given ourselves. He has lit an un-containable fire under us, and without him we will never be the same again. Cheers to taking the world by storm..." The album set them off on a bunch of great tours, and took them out with bands like Dark New Day, Evanescence, Sevendust, Finger Eleven, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, 3 Doors Down, Skillet, Red, Papa Roach, Flyleaf and many more. They also had songs from the album featured on TV shows, and go t to play a show for the American troops as part of the USO tour. In late May, they performed at a couple different army bases in Japan, and for the US Marines. They also made several appearances at festivals, such as the Quebec City festival, and the Big E fest in West Springfield, MA. After all the touring was completed, it became time to work on another album. They spent several months in Nashville, Tennessee writing and then went back on the road in April 2010 with the intention of going into the studio in early June. That didn't happen, but they reassured fans that they would be recording still, it just was pushed back to August instead. They said that they felt it was their best work yet, and the songs were very strong, melodic and a bit heavy here and there. They announced in September that the album had been complete and they were shooting for a release date in early 2011. The first single, "Country Song" came out on March 8 and then the album was finally released on May 17, 2011. Now "Country Song" was quite attention grabbing because while it was catchy, and very good, it was entirely different for Seether. It made fans, such myself wonder what the album was going to be like. However, our curiosities were met with some incredibly beautiful songs. The album, Holding onto Strings Much Better Left to Fray hit number one on the US Alternative, Hard Rock and Top Rock charts. It also reached number 2 on the Billboard 200, 3 in Canada, and 6 in New Zealand. This album is sort of a journey through Shaun Morgan's mind as he deals with heartbreak after his brother sadly committed suicide. This album holds a lot of emotions, done in the most beautiful way. Some songs like "Fur Cue" are a bit heavier, while others like "Here And Now" are slower and more melodic. You hear a lot of the emotions that happened during this time, and really see what its like to go through a loss that great. There's a lot of down notes, expressed in a wonderful way, but then there's some glimpses of hope. Its a beautiful album really, and set them up on the path for more creativity. Over the course of the year to come, they did quite a bit. Including releasing a Remix EP to go along with Holding Onto Strings Much Better Left To Fray, having Troy McLawhorn go back to Evanescence, and they played on Uproar 2011 alongside Avenged Sevenfold, Three Days Grace, Bullet For My Valentine, and Escape The Fate. They also went to Europe with 3 Doors Down. Then in September 2013, they announced that they would be releasing a two disc compilation album of their greatest hits, and more. The album was just simply called Seether 2002 -2013, and was released on October 29, 2013. The two singles to come out of this album were rather interesting. One was actually a cover of the Veruca Salt song, "Seether", and the other was actually was featured on their current album as a bonus track. That song was "Weak", and I actually had viewed that one as the first true single to Isolate And Medicate because I was hearing it all over the radio not long before the release of the album. However, it actually was not a single for Isolate And Medicate. They had four different singles, "Words As Weapons", "Same Damn Life", "Nobody Praying For Me" and "Save Today." The album was announced on January 31, 2014 when they posted a video of Shaun Morgan saying that the album was way underway and would be completed within that week. Then soon after, John Humphrey said that they were shooting for a summer release and that more details would be coming soon. They then started putting up song teasers on various social media apps like Snapchat and Instagram in April, and announced the album's title. They released the first single, "Words As Weapons" on May 1, 2014 and performed it live just over two weeks later at the Orbit Room in Grand Rapids, MI in front of 1,700 fans. Then finally, Isolate And Medicate was released on July 1, 2014, so we're coming up very quickly on the album's second birthday. This was also the first album they ever released as a vinyl as well as normal CDs and digital releases. The album hit number one on three different charts here in the US, and hit number four on the Billboard 200, number six in Canada and 24 in New Zealand. This album honestly was classic Seether, but perfected. Much like the album prior to this, it had a lot of heart to it, but also was incredibly catchy and just sounded fantastic. Its still being supported and much loved today, and Seether is still going just as strong as ever. They are currently writing a new album, and they have a handful of festivals coming up. This includes the third Rise Above Festival! For further information on everything Seether has going on, please be sure to head on over to their official website! And be on the look out for more music from Seether very soon!
1 Comment
Monique Fourie
8/12/2023 12:11:20 pm
Thanks for the detailed information
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
What's this?Blogs of various topics go here, and all are written by Immortal Music's creator. You never know what you may find here, so have a look around. Archives
January 2022
|