“People can say whatever, but Sevendust is still one of the heaviest hitting bands around,” he said. “I just think it’s foolish not to be able to do a ballad if you feel it, because at the end of the day, I don’t care how hard and heavy you are, you’re sad, you know what I mean. Sometimes you have to get those emotions out, and that’s how we do it, through our songs. That’s how we get our frustrations out as well.”

For Witherspoon the emotional depth and range of Seasons is partly a function of the growth of the individual band members and a decision to tone down some indulgences within the band. “In the beginning we were young and Motley Crue’d up,” Witherspoon said, acknowledging the role partying played in the band’s lifestyle. “Everybody grows up and babies come into play and realizing that it’s a really beautiful career and we can’t mess this up, man.”

Guitarist Clint Lowery, in particular, has openly discussed his decision to quit drinking. But Witherspoon said the band members’ behavior never was out of control. “I don’t really feel that way, but I just know it was time to change,”

Witherspoon said. Sevendust’s greater focus was apparent in their approach to the Seasons CD. Guitarists Lowery and Connelly dedicated many of their free moments to songwriting and had nearly 90 songs in various states of completion heading into the project. By the time the group members — Witherspoon, Lowery, Connelly, bassist Vinnie Hornsby and drummer Morgan Rose — got ready to record, they felt they had whittled the song stack down to the very strongest material and were fully prepared to start recording.

“A lot of times [on previous CDs] we were writing when we were in the studio, so there was a lot more pressure on the band,” Witherspoon said. “But on this album, we went in and it was already there. It was like ‘This is what we have. That sounds good. Let’s go ahead and record it.’”

In the years between working with Walker, Sevendust have seen their share of ups and downs. Arriving on the scene with a 1997 self-titled debut CD, the group toured relentlessly for nearly two years, building a strong grass-roots following and slowly but surely selling enough CDs — more than 500,000 — to earn the debut a gold certification. Not wanting to lose that momentum, the group banged out their second CD, the 1999 release Home, in three months and went right back on the road for another two years of touring.

After this grueling stretch of roadwork, the band returned to Atlanta with another gold record under their belts, but to their surprise (not to mention disappointment) no money in the bank. The band members were broke, so much so that for a time they entertained the notion of finding day jobs. The band put the blame on their business team and cleaned house, changing not only their management, but their booking agent, business manager and lawyer.

Then it was on to a third CD, Animosity. That 2001 CD, which started the band’s evolution toward a more melodic sound that favored the soulful singing of Witherspoon over the screaming vocals of the first two CDs, was lauded by most critics. Witherspoon acknowledged that it can be frustrating to see other bands enjoy such commercial success, but he’s grateful to know that three gold albums have Sevendust firmly entrenched on the hard rock scene.

He’s also confident that the group will eventually make a bigger breakthrough. And with a new CD in Seasons that Witherspoon considers the band’s most realized effort to date and a more focused approach to their lifestyle and career, he feels Sevendust is ready for their turn in the spotlight. “I really feel like everything is aligned perfectly. The planets are aligned,” Witherspoon said. “Butch coming back in, man, that’s full circle for us. “Once we started working [on Seasons] the magic was hitting,” he said. “It was a great experience.”