Review: Seether – Holding onto Strings Better Left to Fray

| May 17, 2011 | Comments 31 | Tags:

Rated:

4/5

Following up 2007’s gold-selling Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces, South African post-grunge trio Seether return with their most complete album to date. Opening with a slick, wailing guitar solo, “No Resolution” recalls Purple-era Stone Temple Pilots, while the inevitable single “Tonight” feels like a natural sequel to Seether’s own smash hit “Rise Above This.” Other stellar tracks include the hauntingly bitter “Master of Disaster” and the stomping “Desire for Need,” one of the heaviest songs the band has released. Held together by Shaun Morgan’s alternately gritty and smooth vocals, Holding onto Strings Better Left to Fray should forever distinguish Seether from all the clichéd radio-rock schlock flooding the airwaves. JEREMY BORJON

Check out “Country Song” from Holding on to Strings Better Left to Fray below:


  • Angelhorse77

    Freakin AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Becki

    This is an AMAZING release from Seether!  Worth the 4-year wait.  Really really listen to the guitar work – every song has a new, different twist while still feeling like classic Seether.  

  • Yazan J

    Worth the wait

    Worth the buy
    Worth the listen
    This is more then just an album, this is a masterpiece, that defines optimism, negativity, angry and love all in a single CD. What this band has accomplished really needs to be recognized by everyone who’s 

  • Yazan J

     Worth the wait

    Worth the buy
    Worth the listen
    This is more then just an album, this is a masterpiece, that defines optimism, negativity, angry and love all in a single CD. What this band has accomplished really needs to be recognized by everyone who’s into rock, especially Grunge.

  • http://www.facebook.com/sabrinajoestes Sabrina Estes

    This song is so completely different from most of seethers other songs, but not at all a disapointment, it is amazing, I have listened to it at least once every day since it came out… And the video I love it. Almost as fun for us viewers as it was for them to make it I’m sure….Now just come to Utah…

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001713219196 Anthony Frye

     I take a look back at the music Seether has released since the beginning, and everytime I try to pick a favorite album, I can’t.  Their music has evolved, matured, changed as it should.  And each album I can sit and listen to every single song and love it.  I think that with the latest album, they have proven what they can do as musicians.  The guitar riffs are much more complex, the range of style is huge, it’s just an amazing album.  So congratz Seether, job well done =).

  • tazturkey

    Probably their best album since Disclaimer.

    • http://twitter.com/Rocko9999 Rocko Smith

      Not even close. Way to light. Most of the anger and emotion has been pulled out. 

    • http://twitter.com/Rocko9999 Rocko Smith

      Not even close. Way to light. Most of the anger and emotion has been pulled out. 

  • Jo

    Really nice that your SOUTH AFRICAN fans cannot view the video…

  • http://twitter.com/Rocko9999 Rocko Smith

    I thought FBINS was too light when I first heard it, then it grew on me. HOTSBLTF is way too light, radio friendly and I don’t think my opinion will change. Shaun needs to be more depressed and angry for the next album. 

  • http://twitter.com/Rocko9999 Rocko Smith

    I thought FBINS was too light when I first heard it, then it grew on me. HOTSBLTF is way too light, radio friendly and I don’t think my opinion will change. Shaun needs to be more depressed and angry for the next album. 

  • Timothymccain

    the first time i ever heard seether way back i told all my friends about them and said wait n SEETHER these guys are going to the top …………i love it when i’m rite    ;^0 

  • Timothymccain

    the first time i ever heard seether way back i told all my friends about them and said wait n SEETHER these guys are going to the top …………i love it when i’m rite    ;^0 

  • Desiree Ward

    I Love SEETHER it is my favorite band I have seen them everytime they come to AZ!!! I love this song as well I don’t think they can make a bad song.

    • CRAZY FAN

      ‘I have seen them everytime they come to AZ’…lucky u

  • CRAZY FAN

    love the song… and video is just great))))) 

  • Mikekuj

     Seether was awesome at Summer Fest in Milwaukee a few years back! Gotta get this new album!

  • Grungan

     I just attended their private show in New York! Shaun was wasted but man, what a voice.

  • Kobrien2584

    Love Seether. Shaun Morgan has the best voice ever! I’ve been a follower since I was 14 years-old. 21 now. They are amazing!!! Wish I could meet them in person!
    _Keri-Anne O’Brien
    Ludington, MI 49431

  • justsomeguy

    gotta say from listening to seether all the way from their saron gas days, that it isnt quite the seether sound im used too, not that its not good, its just not seether

  • valgoodkarmamoonbeam.

     Think the album is one they should be very pleased with.. The originality is screaming at you.. The Guys at Seether are musically genius like…

  • Briianna1006

    ive been lsitening to them for ever, and i have every album, and  this just isnt a sound im used too, idk i still love them ofcourse, and love their new songs, but this sure aint the old them.

  • 2blong33

    Just purchased deluxe version on iTunes. I have to say this is my favorite Seether ever! Love, love, love this band! Awesome!

  • Star_gazer86

    I was really surprised at this album, its very different, not as angry. I love their heavier stuff but I can’t help really liking the new album, more I listen to it the better it gets as well. Master of Disaster and Fur Cue are particularly good.  

  • http://twitter.com/cloudpollen Neil

    Love Seether, went across the globe to see them twice, but this album is how I can only describe as backing track to the latest high school movie. Terrible, why!?!?

  • ASFM

    Very mature Seether album collectively can be enjoyed by everyone” Seether heads” and your average listener pass slowly you can…well I can feel the emotion driven behind that and that’s enough to know my boys are doing what they need to do NEVER write what ppl want you to write but what you feel.. not to mention forsaken and of course fur cue hell down and desire for need show that grunge metal vibe has gone NOWHERE. With that my rating4.5/5 not 5 for 5 only because I want it to be a longer cd I can’t get enough of new Seether=-)

  • Patrickisawesome5000

    I honeslty think this album is like a transition album for Seether. Most rock bands tend to mellow out as they get older. As a fan of mainstream rock, I think of bands like Pearl Jam, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers who have been around for years, and even newer bands like slipknot/stone sour or take a band like Linkin Park. I’m not personally a fan of all these bands, but they all originally started out a lot heavier than they are today, and this album to me is one of seether’s best, there may be a few songs that are just kind of bland, but if an album has at least 8 out of the 12 track that I definitely like a lot, and a few are just okay then in my opinion that’s a damn good album, and I think even thought this albums is more melodic than the other seether albums, some of the songs like “here and now” and “tonight” which are two of the more soft songs, are probably the best SONGS that Seether has ever written. I have everything they have done since they were called “Saron Gas” in the late 90′s, I’ve met the band, been to a ton of shows, but I’m older now too so I used to love it when they played there hardest songs live, but now I like how they have matured and grown as artists as I’ve gotten older. If I wanted to listen to Heavy Metal, I’d just listen to Slayer all the time, but I definitely like the new direction Seether has gone with there sound. My favorite track is “No Resolution” and “For Que” is anther killer song. After I purchased and listened to this album about 5 times on my MP3 player. I thought to myself after “Country Song” there are probably 6 more songs I could see being radio singles. If you like mainstream rock, this album is about as good your going to get these days.

  • Beanie380

    I really like the new album,I took off 2 days of work to drive 3 hours to see them play the new music,and they cancelled the show.

  • Sorryicouldntbethere

    If I was Seether or whoever is in charge of releasing songs to the radio, as a fan of the band and wanting them to have more mainstreem popularity than bands people compare them to, like Puddle of Mudd, Chevelle, 3 Days Grace, Godmsack, Disturbed and Saving Able to name a few. I would in some order, probably this after “Country Song” has taken its ride on the charts and radio, then release “tonight” good song for the summer, Then “Here and Now” and then for the fourth single I would put out “No Resolution” unless they can do something like they seem to do with every other album and come up with a new radio song after the album is done like “broken” and “carless whisper” But as a fan of the band and I personally want to see them be a band that last a long time, I think those 3 songs I mentioned besides country song, would be perfect for radio. And if I were Seether , even thought Puddle of Mudd is doing it too, I read that they were going to do a covers CD, I think if they can turn songs like “Carless Whisper into awesome songs, they should do that too, cause all puddle of mudd is doing is basically covering songs from the 1970′s and adding wes scantins copy cat kurt cobain sounding raspy vocals to the songs. There not really making them any different from the orignals,

  • http://www.facebook.com/clayne.zollinger Clayne Stirland Zollinger III

    The more I listened to their last effort, “Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces,” the more I realized it was lacking in content. For a band with a promising debut and a stellar sophomore effort, Seether seems to have gotten sucked into the cookie cutter radio rock genre. Blase, cliche lyrics, faux heavy riffs and lame too-frequent hooks plagued a few too many numbers on FBiNS and seems to be all that there is on this record. 4/5? I doubt it. 2.5/5 is too generous.