It’s gritty, grungy and it’s raging! It’s the third studio album from Seether and although this time around they are minus guitarist Pat Callahan, the threesome does not fail to deliver a powerful album grinded through the clenched teeth of frontman, Shaun Morgan. Considering the band’s messy year, Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces is quite an inspired album title. It is pretty obvious that they had some serious issues to work out and they cover it all in true grunge style; blatant disdain for the ‘Hollywood-way’, striking back at ex-girlfriend Amy Lee (Evanescence), mourning the death of his brother and a stint in rehab.

A progressively volatile Morgan spits rants and churns out song after song with guitar fury unknown, while Dale Stewart’s bass lines and John Humphrey’s pounding drums shoulder up a turbulent, strong and catchy album.

Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces breaks away from the darker Karma & Effect, introducing fans to a more energetic sound. The album opens with “Like Suicide” which was reported to be the first single, however in light of his brother’s passing, the band decided to release “Fake It” instead, a good move considering “Fake It” quickly rose to number one on mainstream rock charts. Not bad for a band with roots in a garage in Pretoria.

Listen out for “Breakdown”, my personal favourite, not because it is Seether’s answer to Amy Lee’s “Call Me When Your Sober”, but because somewhere in and amongst all that seething anger, there is something so sad and so beautiful.

Second single “Rise Above This”, dedicated to Shaun’s late brother – Eugene Welgemoed (to whom the album is also dedicated), first appeared on Jacaranda 94.2 as a Fresh Cut and received such a unanimous vote from listeners that it now features on the playlist.

Having often been criticized for being Nirvana-sound-alikes – Morgan admitting that Nirvana has been one of their major influences – the boys have not reinvented the “rock wheel”. But know this, when you put Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces in your CD-player, you are going to get rage rock that doesn’t shy away from biting the hand that feeds.

Afterthought: This could or could not be an album to play to your mother-in-law at your next Sunday lunch, that all depends on how comfortable your couch is. But this is Seether, and it’s rock ‘n roll as usual.