Seether is collectively known as Shaun Morgan (vocals), Corey Lowery (guitar), John Humphrey (drums), and Dale Stewart (bass) release their eighth album Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum (Fantasy Records). The album clocks in at just under an hour and is jam-packed with awesome songs. There isn’t a wasted moment on Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum.

The album opens with a heavy, ethereally menacing ‘Dead and Done’. It’s thick and draining, “… I’m f*#%ing dead, nobody only me, I just don’t have the energy…”. ‘Bruised and Buried’ is a sixties frug-tastic watusi fest. The song flows easily to a track you could waltz to, ‘Wasteland’. It’s raw and emotional and really quite sad. The songs flow seamlessly into each other weaving a beautiful tapestry of emotion. The track that stops one in their tracks is ‘Drift Away’. The poignant lyrics, the raw and emotional vocals, the texture of the composition is a punch in the gut. It’s sadness on a profound level. This is the devilish magic of Seether and the writing / composing style. Everything is real but in a heightened state. Another track on Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellu is ‘Failure’. ‘Failure’ espouses a feeling of failure many feel but can’t adequately express. Seether expresses the feelings of depression, self-loathing, and anxiety. Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum is deep and brooding in self-reflection. There is a seething intensity to all of the tracks.

If ever there was an album that this year needed, it’s Seether’s Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum. The album expresses what people feel. It’s soulful and mournful and beautifully put together. The fifty-two minutes come and go so quickly as the listener is caught up in the music. Therefore, Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum is played on repeat multiple times. Buy it here: https://found.ee/SiVisPacemParaBellum

8 / 10

VICTORIA ANDERSON