Sevendust released their ninth studio album, Black Out the Sun, on Tuesday. Now, the metal vets have unveiled the music video for the record’s track “Decay.” Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments.

UPDATE: The poll is closed. For the results, click here.

Sevendust are set to release their new, ninth album, Black Out the Sun, tomorrow, March 26. In anticipation, the band is sharing the video below exclusively with Revolver readers. The clip features the band members discussing four of the songs on the new record: “Dark AM,” “Picture Perfect,” “Got a Feelin’,” and “Murder Bar.” Check it out below, and let us know what you think in the comments.

By James Wood

After nearly two decades together, Sevendust remain one of few bands to come out of the ’90s with all five original members — John Connolly (guitar), Clint Lowery (guitar), Lajon Witherspoon (vocals), Vince Hornsby (bass) and Morgan Rose (drums) — fully intact.

It’s a testament to the friendship and musicianship the band brings to their fans and each other night after night, album after album.

Sevendust’s ninth studio album, Black Out The Sun (available March 26), is a much grittier, darker release. By using their instincts and taking the second guessing out of the recording process, they’ve produced a melodic, creative effort, a hybrid of earlier Sevendust albums that fans old and new can appreciate.

I spoke with Connolly and Lowery about Black Out The Sun, guitars and the band’s longevity and legacy.

REVOLVER: Black Out The Sun has a different sound for you guys. How would you describe it?

Connolly: It has a totally different vibe about it. It’s darker, but with a little bit of hope. There’s always that light at the end of the tunnel. When I listen to it, it’s almost like a greatest-hits record of songs you’ve never heard before. There’s an album that every one of those songs could potentially live on. There’s some stuff that sounds like it might belong on Home, some that sounds like Seasons. Then there are some Alpha moments as well.

Lowery: We didn’t over-think the record. It has a spontaneous feel. It has the spirit of our older records, but it’s evolved as well. If you’re already a fan, it caters to the elements you’ve always liked. We’re proud of this album.

What approach was used for writing songs for the album?

Lowery: It usually comes from an idea or a riff that John or I start. It’s us coming up with beats and constructing the skeletal idea of the song from there. Then we’d get the band together to play it with everyone. By that point we’d start arranging it, and vocals are the last thing.

Connolly: There was definitely no shortage of ideas. For this record, we had a writing area behind the live drums in the studio. Whenever someone was in the studio working on parts, any number of us would gather in this writing station and map things out right there on the spot. This was one of those albums where on Monday “Decay” didn’t exist and by the end of Tuesday night, it was there.

What amps do you use to get your killer guitar tone?

Connolly: I was always a Marshall guy. I have a 1971 Super Tremolo that’s been modded and is by far the best guitar sound I’ve had. I used to use that to death and quite a bit on the last record. For this album, I decided to give it a break and take the EVH in and see what it could do. We played around with it for about five minutes and we were done. It’s such a usable amp. There’s so much blue and cohesiveness and clarity in the tone. I was originally one of the early naysayers about it and went in with a real piss poor attitude. But, we opened up the box and I haven’t turned it off since. [futureusgallerylaughs]

Lowery: For playing live, we use EVH heads and I use a GCX and run my pedals through that. It’s a pretty cut-and-dry sound. We’re not like the Edge from U2 using every amp (although I think that’s great). For us, it’s more of a meat-and-potatoes kind of approach.

Let’s discuss how you got started playing guitar.

Lowery: I’ve been playing from an early age. My dad played guitar and my whole family was into music. I quickly found myself gravitating toward the more progressive players like Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen and Paul Gilbert. I also loved the pioneers like Van Halen and Randy Rhoads. The guys who could rip the fretboard but could also write killer grooves. Dimebag Darrell was the guy. He could throw down and shred with the best of them, but he also wrote the most amazing monster riffs.

Connolly: I spent the beginning of my life playing drums. When I got to college, I was a percussion major, which is a very loose term of saying you can play the drums occasionally [futureusgallerylaughs]. I was actually a marimba major, believe it or not. One thing that sucked about being a drummer in a band back then was that drummers didn’t write a lot and didn’t get much respect, so I made the switch.

Dave Grohl actually beat me to the punch by a year and half. I said, “If he can do it, I can do it!” I wasn’t even trying to be the singer; I just wanted to write songs. I initially approached the instrument as just a tool just to write, but somewhere along the way fell in love with it.

How did you both approach practicing the instrument back then?

Lowery: I learned a lot of fundamental scales, but wood-shedded for the most part. I was always playing and building my technique with legato and alternate picking. Anything I could do to help increase my speed and accuracy. I’ve always felt that the more you hold the guitar the better your percentages are for coming up with something cool. The more you play, the more you discover.

Connolly: I went through a period where I was just nuts about playing. There were days where I’d play a minimum of three to four hours, and that was on a “light” day. When we took the off time and did side projects, there was a lot more songwriting and experimentation going on, so the whole idea of practicing guitar that intensely went out the window.

What do you like the most and least about touring?

Connolly: The thing that’s most difficult is missing the time at home. We all have families. So it’s nice to take breaks. Having said that, for the 18 years we’ve been together, we’ve met a lot of really great people from all over the world. That’s the cool thing; getting to reconnect with them. We’ve met a lot of fans and made a lot of friends.

Lowery: The ultimate dream is playing and connecting with the fans. I still get a high from it. The hard part is leaving the family. So there’s a trade-off. You have the amazing beauty of being on stage and having the fans sing back your every word, but there’s a price for it; missing out on milestone family events. You miss a lot. We’re all connected to our families.

What’s the secret to the band’s longevity?

Lowery: The concept originally was to put together a band with guys you actually enjoyed hanging out with. You have to live with these people on a bus so you need to have mutual respect and consideration for each other.

Connolly: We have a lot of friends in this business, but I don’t know too many bands that have all the same five original guys. People see us eating at a Chili’s on an off day and they flip out. But the thing that excites them the most is the fact that it’s actually all five of us eating at the same table together. [futureusgallerylaughs]

Any advice you can give to aspiring guitarists?

Lowery: I know this may sound cliché to say but, practice makes perfect. Also, if you learn something, try to play the same thing a little bit differently and add your own flavor to it. If you’re influenced by Dimebag, try to take it what he did a little further. Always try to expand on what artists have put out there so that one day you can be the person that inspires the next kid that comes along.

James Wood is a writer, musician and self-proclaimed metalhead who maintains his own website, GoJimmyGo.net. His articles and interviews are written on a variety of topics with passion and humor. You can follow him on Twitter @JimEWood.

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“We’re really looking forward to returning to Rock on the Range with a batch of brand new killer Alice tunes to play for everyone!” says Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains.

“Head is back!!,” Korn singer Jonathan Davis comments. “Rock On The Range is going to start it all off!! Get ready, we are going to hit it hard!!”

“Bush are thrilled to be playing Rock On The Range with such great bands,” Bush frontman Gavin Rosdale says. “We look forward to seeing you all out there.”

“This massive lineup has scratched our seven-year itch!” says Gary Spivack, co-executive producer of the event for Right Arm Entertainment. “Getting Soundgarden for their first Ohio play in two decades and having seminal acts Alice in Chains, Korn, Volbeat, and Papa Roach return along with bands new to Rock On The Range that include Smashing Pumpkins and Bush, and everything in between—the spectrum of rock n roll is covered…three days of constant energy. Rock On The Range is truly where rock lives.”

“Our goal with Rock On The Range is to constantly create new and interesting ways to expand the event and give even more value to our fans,” comments Joe Litvag, co-executive producer of the event for AEG Live. “In 2013, we’ve added a comedy tent within the site that will be curated by The Funny Bone comedy club. Having a slate of incredible, up-and-coming comedians to riff on the rock experience will be a great change of pace for the weekend. The site layout is also changing dramatically in 2013 to create better event flow, to add more interactive fan activity to the festival, and to allow even more people to experience the higher caliber of talent on the second stage this year.”

Sevendust have announced a March 26, 2013 release date for their upcoming ninth studio album, Black Out the Sun.

In a recent Revolver interview, guitarist John Connolly promised that the album would feature a “a darker vibe,” while assuring fans that there would “still plenty of melody.”

“It fits right in with Animosity, Alpha and our self-titled album,” he continued. “Lots of heavy stuff and some more mellow moody songs as well.”

Sevendust will be hitting the road next February for a month-long trek with Lacuna Coil. More dates are expected to be announced in the near future.

Sevendust, Lacuna Coil 2013 Tour Dates

02.02 Winston-Salem, NC — Ziggy’s
02.03 Jacksonville, NC — Hooligans
02.05 Lancaster, PA — Chameleon Club
02.06 Clifton Park, NY — Upstate Concert Hall
02.07 Portland, ME — The Asylum
02.08 Allentown, PA — Crocodile Rock
02.09 Lynchburg, VA — Phase 2
02.10 Nashville, TN — Marathon Music Works
02.12 Fayetteville, AR — George’s Majestic Lounge
02.14 Biloxi, MS — Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
02.15 Broussard, LA — The Station
02.16 Beaumont, TX — Dixie Dance Hall
02.17 Little Rock, AR — Revolution! Music Room
02.19 Springfield, IL — Boondocks
02.21 Bloomington, IL — The Castle Theatre
02.22 South Bend, IN — Club Fever
02.23 Cedar Rapids, IA — Pepsi Pavilion

By Alison Richter

When he’s not touring or recording with Sevendust — who are in the studio working on the follow-up to 2010’s Cold Day Memory — guitarist Clint Lowery stays busy with several other projects, including Call Me No One, HDMS and, earlier this year, the long-awaited reunion of Dark New Day.

DND, which also includes drummer Will Hunt and guitarist Troy McLawhorn from Evanescence, vocalist/guitarist Brett Hestla from Virgos Merlot and bassist Corey Lowery from Stereomud and Eye Empire, released their second album, New Tradition, in February — six years after their debut, Twelve Year Silence.

In 2006, the band released an EP, The Black Porch Acoustic Sessions, and began working on their second album, then titled Hail Mary. Dark New Day were released from their Warner Brothers contract, and the album was put on hold until the band members reunited last year to revisit the tracks and write new songs.

In this interview, Clint Lowery discusses DND’s reunion, their loyal fan base and his goals as a guitar player.

REVOLVER: The industry has certainly changed since the first go-round. How did that affect things, if at all, in terms of release and promotion?

I’ve got to say that with this, it’s been a pleasure. Goomba Music is a very hands-on, small, indie record label and Warner Brothers was a bigger machine. There was a lot more money put into the band, a lot more, so it was a bigger campaign, but they’re both different and unique. And I’m in a completely different headspace now. Back then we were so excited about it, it was our primary band and we were putting every bit of our energy in it.

This is more like, we have these songs, they’re going to be released on this label, we’re going to do stuff to promote it, and it’s been real loose and a lot less stressful. I think I’ve enjoyed this a little more. The other album was fun in a completely different way, a different vibe.

It’s amazing how loyal the fans have been. Any theories?

I’m amazed by it too. I’m surprised there’s anyone out there who was still trying to find these songs. I think it’s the mystery of why we went away so fast. We kind of achieved this little cult following because, I think, people are usually force-fed. Bands put out as much as they can until people aren’t buying it, and then they go away. With us, we had a really good run on that first record, the momentum was really good and then the band was gone. I think that left people wanting more, instead of us putting out records and burning out.

We would probably be four records deep right now if we had continued. It was one of those things where it was good music, we were very lucky to have put out a good album, and a group of people wanted a follow-up to it. At the end of the day, a good song wins regardless and stands the test of time, and with these guys in this particular band, I think we did some good work. I can say that it’s good work and still be modest because I was a fifth of how it went down. I did my part and I was really amazed to play with those guys. They’re really good players. I’ve been lucky to always have a good level of musicianship around me for sure.

How has that taken you to the next level?

When you surround yourself with people who are ambitious in their trade, whatever it is, you naturally excel and learn and you take little bits and shortcuts of what people do. I’m a sponge; I like to absorb what’s around me. I’ve never been in a place where I’m the player that I want to be.

I’m always trying to improve on this or that and it goes in waves. I’ve been doing this since I was 18 and I’m 40 years old now as far as touring, and I’ve been playing since I was 11, so it’s been a lifelong passion of mine and I’m still into it today. Along the way I’ve worked with a lot of really good players who have taught me a lot. It’s been a wonderful experience.

Where do you see the changes and development, and what are the ongoing goals?

Ultimately, at the end of the day, I would love to be recognized as a guitar player that has his own style. I put a lot of time into it. I’ve kind of deluded the fact that I can rip a solo with the best of them. I have a lot of speed to my playing and I have a lot of elements that I don’t really show within the Sevendust songs as much as I could have. I’ve held that back a little bit.

I would like to have the opportunity to really shred it up a little bit on the next Sevendust record, make a really honest metal record and pay homage to the influences I grew up with as far as the Steve Vai’s and the Iron Maidens, all the guitar players Dio had, Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen — I want to pay respect to that because that’s where I came from. That’s what I do.

A lot of people are adventurous with their solos now. Dimebag Darrell was probably the biggest influence to me, as he was to a lot of people, so I would love to have the opportunity to at least try to be one of the people that are fulfilling that appetite for the really good metal and rock guitar solo.

What does your practice consist of?

I don’t practice as much as I did in my earlier days. On the road I do quite a bit; I practice for about an hour and a half before we play. I go over scales and keep my right hand active and my left hand mobile. Every now and then I’ll have a phase where I pick up the guitar, and every time I hold it I’m still excited about playing. Some days I feel like I could play anything, and other days I feel like I’m a beginner again.

That’s the beauty of this whole thing — you always want … insecure players sometimes make for better players because you’re always striving to figure stuff out. I’m a big YouTube junkie; I watch people play on there and get depressed and try to emulate what they do. There are some amazing guys out there. You can sit in your basement and play guitar 24 hours a day and play everything fast as lightning with all this accuracy, but there’s a feel that some people have that just can’t be practiced or rehearsed. Some people just have it.

Is there a guitar album in your future?

I would love to do that. I think it would be very self-indulgent, but it would be fun to do. It would force me to really concentrate on my playing and focus on woodshedding for a few months before so I’d have something to offer, but that’s a good idea. I never thought about it.

Read more of Clint Lowery’s interview here.

— Alison Richter

Alison Richter interviews artists, producers, engineers and other music industry professionals for print and online publications. Read more of her interviews right here.

1. Bad Company “Great songwriting with Paul Rogers voice makes for an awesome combination. Still to this day, Rodgers has one of the best voices in rock. Timeless music.”

2. Temple of the Dog “A great one off from a few of the pioneers of the Seattle scene. Great compilation of music written as a tribute to Andrew Wood.”

3. Foo Fighters “Come on! Anything Dave Grohl touches turns to gold. One of the best songwriters in music today hands down. Always keeping it real. The modern-day Tom Petty really.”

4. A Perfect Circle “In some ways, this band is what I wished Tool might have morphed into. More simple arrangements and simpler songwriting than Tool, which is ironically what put Tool on the map with “Sober.” Awesome songwriting and hooks.”

5. Black Country Communion “Time to go to school! Joe Bonamassa is one of the best guitar players in the game and his side band ain’t too shabby either. Glenn Hughes voice on top of it all makes for some of the coolest music most folks don’t know about.”