Sevendust is an heavy, melodic/ metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. They formed in late 1994 under the name "Crawlspace" but later were forced to change their name when a group from the West Coast claimed rights to it. They struggled to find a new title but finally settled on Sevendust after bassist Vinnie Hornsby was looking through his grandmother's garage and found a can of plant pesticide called " Sevindust." Vocalist Lajon Witherspoon's take on the name is that seven is a holy number and we are all made of dust. Their name has also been associated with the computer virus with the same name. They were originally signed to TVT Records, but now have released their first album with Winedark Records (through Universal Music).
Known for their energetic and powerful live shows, Sevendust released their first self-titled album on April 15, 1997. This album is known for its heavy riffs, angry vocals and thrash-like drumming. The songs "Black" and "Bitch" are the most well known songs from this album. "Black" was the opening song for every Sevendust concert until recently when "Suffocate", from the album Seasons, took its place. The debut album also contains the song "My Ruin" from their Crawlspace days which is included in the Mortal Kombat soundtrack album entitled "More Kombat" released by TVT Records.
After they appeared at Ozzfest 1998, their self-titled album went gold. In the same year they released a compilation called "Live and Loud" which featured live footage of the band at Chicago's Metro. Two years later, on August 24, 1999, they released their sophomore album, Home, which has also gone gold. Skin from Skunk Anansie and Chino Moreno from the Deftones appeared as guest vocalists on two songs, "Licking Cream" and "Bender". Also featured on "Bender" was additional guitar work by Troy McLawhorn of doubleDrive. That same year they were given #1 Band of the Year, #1 Album of the Year and #1 New band of the Year Awards. They appeared in Woodstock 1999 and have toured with many bands such as KoЯn, Staind, Reveille, Godsmack, Mudvayne, Powerman 5000, Creed, Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit and Metallica. They also joined Slipknot, Coal Chamber and other bands on a tour called " Tattoo The Earth Tour" in June of 2000. They then headed into the studio to record their third album, Animosity, which was released on November 13, 2001. Aaron Lewis of Staind did guest vocals on the song "Follow". This album gained them commercial success and went gold as well.
