"Midwest Beatdown" recently conducted an interview with SEVENDUST frontman Lajon Witherspoon. You can listen to the entire chat via the SoundCloud widget below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On SEVENDUST's latest studio album, "All I See Is War": Lajon: "What a pleasure it was doing this album and actually being able to record and work with[producer] Elvis Baskette, someone I've personally I've been wanting to work with for a long time, and he's a good friend. There was a magical energy to be able to live with him in the house and the studio be there. We had a great time not only writing, but every day was exciting. You wanted to get into the studio. It was good. I'm excited about this album." On signing with Rise Records for the release of "All I See Is War": Lajon: "We got lucky and thought the days of bands being signed were long gone. We had a few labels courting us for a while and it was fun, but we thought Rise Records would definitely be a good fit for SEVENDUST and it seems to be working. We thank those guys for everything they've done, and they've done a lot. We just did another single that's coming out or is just ready to come out. Rise is cool, man. We like being a part of the Rise family. They've really got their finger on the pulse." On the heavier nature of "All I See Is War": Lajon: "We try to make sure each album is that way. I think from here on out, we try to make sure we do our best with everything we do. It's not like it always hasn't been like that, but we had a really good team on this album. It was something that we looked forward to. It seemed like the planets aligned for us." On whether it's easier or harder for SEVENDUST to make a record these days: Lajon: "I think it's easier. We don't bang 'em out like we used to. We don't tour like we used to. We really had time to be home with our families and be daddies and husbands and friends and family. It's a different lifestyle these days and it's easier and I think it makes better music for us to be away for a minute and come back. My personal feeling is, how can you continue to write good songs when all you do is continue to tour? Even though I'm not dogging that — we did it forever — but you need time; you need a break to regroup; you need time for different things to happen in your life. That's what I'm a believer in. That's my thing." On whether he has to listen to previous SEVENDUST albums to ensure he's not repeating himself: Lajon: "I think each song comes out different because it's a different timing. I never found myself feeling like I'm writing the same song. I never really feel like that at all. That's a good thing. I think you might get stumbled, but I don't get writer's block. We have so many writers in this band, so if I'm stuck or something, somebody else can bring in something and we go 'That's great!' We help each other out. If it's a block or I call it an 'abstract illusion,' we find some way to get around it. [Laughs]" On working with Baskette on "All I See Is War": Lajon: "He can sing, he can play guitar like no other, everything. He played all the instruments. His style was really cool. Jeff [Moll] his assistant engineer, they were a team to reckon with, a force. I've never seen anything like it. Not to say anything less about other producers; they've been great and I loved working with them all, but Elvis was the best with us at the time in our lives that we are. We are older and more seasoned. It's a project we've been wanting to do together for a long time and it was a lot of damn fun. I wish we were there right now. I look forward to hopefully working with him again." SEVENDUST's current North American tour in direct support of CLUTCH along with TYLER BRYANT & THE SHAKEDOWN will wrap on October 28 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "All I See Is War" was released May 11 via Rise Records.
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