Rock group Seether will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their gold-selling debut album “Disclaimer” with an expanded reissue.
It will feature their hit singles “Gasoline,” “Fine Again,” and “Driven Under,” as well as a previously unreleased 2003 live show a rare B-side from the era (an acoustic cover of Nirvana’s “Something in the Way”). It will be released via Craft Recordings on a 3-LP, 2-CD, and in digital formats. It will officially be released on January 20, 2023.
Formed in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1999, Seether (originally named “Saron Gas”) instantly hooked fans at home with their blend of alt-metal, grunge, and heart-on-sleeve lyricism. At the turn of the millennium, not long after releasing the South Africa-only Fragile, the band (originally consisting of vocalist and guitarist Shaun Morgan, bassist Dale Stewart, and drummer Dave Cohoe) caught the ears of Wind-up Records, who brought the trio to the U.S. to record their international debut.
In the whirlwind weeks between pre-production in New York City and recording in Los Angeles, the band gained a new name (borrowing their permanent moniker from Veruca Salt’s 1994 alt-rock hit) and lost a drummer, when Cohoe chose to return home. As the band auditioned new drummers, veteran musician Josh Freese (The Vandals, A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails) stepped in to lend his talents in the studio.
Over the next four months, Seether recorded new material, plus seven selects from Fragile, with producer Jay Baumgardner (Bush, Shinedown, Papa Roach). Several songs dated back to Morgan’s teenage years, including the brooding “Fine Again,” written after his parents’ divorce.
“69 Tea,” meanwhile, was one of Morgan’s earliest compositions as well as the band’s first single in South Africa. Other songs found Morgan and Stewart reflecting on more recent experiences, including the deeply personal acoustic ballad “Broken,” written by Morgan about the breakup of his marriage and family after his wife chose to remain in South Africa with their daughter.
Disclaimer was released in August 2002, amid a busy schedule of shows (including a coveted spot on the Ozzfest tour). The album, which was eventually certified Gold by the RIAA peaked in the Billboard 200’s Top 100 and spawned three of the band’s most enduring hits, including “Driven Under” and “Fine Again,” the latter of which topped Billboard’s Active Rock chart, peaked at No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the Top Ten of both the Hot Modern Rock Tracks and Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks charts.
The third single, “Gasoline,” peaked at No.8 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and remains one of Seether’s biggest hits, while videos for all three songs saw regular airplay on MTV2.
The critics also took notice of the young band. Comparing Seether with such grunge heroes as Pearl Jam and Nirvana, Rolling Stone praised the group’s “toe-tapping catharsis.” That catharsis could certainly sum up the band’s first year in America.
The deluxe edition of “Disclaimer” is available for pre-order by clicking here.
To learn more about Seether, visit its official website.
