Seether expanding 'Disclaimer' for 20th anniversary

Expanded reissue drops Jan 20th

Craft Recordings has partnered with Seether to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their Gold-selling debut, Disclaimer, with an expanded reissue January 20th. The deluxe 3 LP and 2 CD sets include the original 12-track album — featuring such enduring hits as “Gasoline,” “Fine Again,” and “Driven Under” — plus a previously unreleased live show, captured in its entirety at New Hampshire’s Hampton Beach Casino in 2003. Rounding out the bonus content on Disclaimer (Deluxe Edition) is a rare 2002 live acoustic cover of Nirvana’s “Something in the Way,” which was first issued as a B-side.

The 3 LP edition is housed in a deluxe triple gatefold jacket, while both physical formats also include new liner notes from Katherine Turman, an acclaimed music journalist, producer, and co-author of Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal (HarperCollins). Merch bundles and a splatter vinyl will be offered through the band’s webstore.

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 US 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 song was also featured in the video games Madden 2003 and 1080° Avalanche and later appeared in the 2018 film Boy Erased. 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.

Two years after its release, the band revisited the songs on Disclaimer with 2004’s Disclaimer II. Among other reworkings, Morgan reimagined “Broken” as a duet with Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee. Released as a single, the song became a Top 20 hit in the US and a Top 5 hit in Australia, New Zealand and Belgium, while Disclaimer II became the band’s first Platinum-certified album in America.

In 2020, Seether released their acclaimed eighth studio album, Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum (If You Want Peace, Prepare for War), via Fantasy Records, while last year, the band celebrated their 20th anniversary with the compilation Vicennial – 2 Decades of Seether via Craft Recordings. Also in 2021, Seether was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s popular Right Here Right Now exhibit, which focuses on the evolution of rock and its impact on the current generation of artists. Right Here Right Now helps fans discover how bands like Seether, plus artists like Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift, have influenced the new millennium.