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Rock music ebbs and flows. It has its trends. It has its image. It has its waves, its peaks, its valleys. It has its stars, its icons, its figureheads, many of which burn out and fade away. Massachusetts rock band Seemless dont concern themselves with the current rock n roll climate or with whats hip and cool right now or with constructing an image. Rather, Seemless care about crafting tight, solid, unforgettable, and timeless rock music that will live on long after the members have left this earthly plane.

For Seemless, its all about the music and only the music. Its about making massive riffs complemented by versatile vocals, finished off by booming percussion and rippling bass rhythms. Its about getting down and dirty and rocking the hell out. This is rock, the way its supposed to be done, says vocalist Jesse Leach. What Have We Become was written by music lovers for music lovers. Its raw and organic. And were just a bunch of music geeks. Drummer Derek Kerswill concurs, Were such music nerds. We love so much stuff, and the album is a great achievement, personally and collectively. We didnt play it safe. We took risks, by thinking outside the box, and by not worrying about the climate as it is right now. We just did what we wanted to do.

What Have We Become, which was recorded at Massachusetts Longview Studios (where rock legends like Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, and the J Geils Band have recorded), is best described as a blend of rock n roll soul and heavy metal blues. Its also Seemlesss second official full-length, but its the first effort where Leach was fully a part of the writing process, as he joined the band after much of their self-titled debut was already written. The writing process was 100% collaborative for Seemless, rounded out by guitarist Pete Cortese and bassist Jeff Fultz. Its an honest piece of music, because what you hear on record is what youll hear when we play live, says Kerswill. We recorded live. There is no studio trickery and no click tracks. Ultimately, this album is the result of putting four passionate music fans in a room together. Speaking about the truly collaborative nature of the album, Leach says, This is the first time in my career where I had the guys work on the lyrics on a few songs. The song Seven is a song that all 4 of us wrote, Everyone contributed lyrically and melodically, and thats a first, as no one has had input in lyrics prior. I know when I sing those words that we all had something to do with it.

Another thing that makes Seemless so refreshing is the way their music pays homage to the early days of rock n roll, when playing instruments superseded the pomp n circumstance of the lifestyle. We come from blue collar, working class backgrounds, the singer says. We know what its like to be poor and not know where your next meal is coming from. This reality, combined with each members blazing passion for crafting music, is what makes What Have We Become a complete album, one that you will be compelled to listen to from stem to stern. Leach continues, Its diversified. Were not afraid to have something heavy, massive and layered with screaming or slide guitar. Like Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin, you cant paint our sound into a corner. Youre always going to get the groove, the rock n roll, and the soul, but youre never going to know what to expect. We like to make albums, not singles. This is an album, and it all ties together. Most people want to buy an album, go out for a drive, pop it into the stereo, and listen to it from start to finish. Thats what we wanted to do on this record. We want listeners to listen from start to finish and not skip tracks.

Seemless, whose members have done time in heavyweight metal bands like Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, and Overcast before forming Seemless, also stand out from the crowd by affirming that while they may be separate from their fans, they feel like equals. Seemless contend that they are making music from the heart, for their fans. This music comes from living, from having a heart and soul, Leach says, holding nothing back. This is in our blood. We dont want to be the next big thing or have some huge single. We just live and breathe this music. Were not teenagers with stars in our eyes. Our music is as alive as we are. There is no computer manipulation or machine that fixes notes that I cannot hit. You are hearing live rock n roll when you listen to What Have We Become. There is so much technology in heavy music, to make it smooth and perfect, that it loses the organic human touch. For us, its honest. You get a piece of us when you listen to this.

While Seemless have the chops to write timeless tunes with beating hearts, they eschew rock star iconography and like to speak direct to their fans through the singers personal lyrics, which have taken a slight shift to the left on this album. The music industry, life, and usual topics that I am into, like dark vs. light, are in this, says Leach. There is also a political thread through this album. Leach maintains that he likes his words to be open to interpretation, as well. I like to keep it like a painting, he continues. You dont know what the painter had in mind, but while you look at it, youll figure it out. I am not straying from my views or core beliefs. But with this album, I embraced a darker side of myself, I looked at that darker side of myself and Im now letting people know that I understand that dark side. I understand depression and not being the best person you can be. In the past, I wrote and portrayed myself as what I strived for, like a Bob Marley figure, saying, Lets strive for righteousness. But now, Im more realistic in my approach. Im saying, I understand. Im there, too.

Its that type of honesty that rock fans will relate to on What Have We Become. The album, featuring artwork by Paul Romano (Mastodon, Trivium), is erected on a note of hope. The main theme is struggle and hope, Kerswill contends. Our pasts, which we thought would help us, really didnt. It made things hard, because we werent what people expected, musically. We love creating together, and in turn, we made a record that we are so proud of. I listen to it as a fan, and forget that is my band. Thats never happened to me before. The last track, Things Fall Apart is an epic for us, and its a special song, and its all about hope. We want to give that hope to people. We all walk a really long road, and just existing can be long, but its also beautiful and we want people to feel that through our music.

Thanks to the bluesy riffs, Leachs soulful vocals, and the tried and true love of rock n roll thats omnipresent on What Have We Become, it appears that Seemlesss mission has been accomplished.

Amy Sciarretto
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