SEVENDUST Drummer On Early Tours With Alternative Rock Bands: 'We Felt Like We Were Underdogs Right Away'

Morgan Rose says that SEVENDUST had to work its way up in the late 1990s by first playing with alternative rock groups before getting proper opening slots with other hard rock and metal artists. As a result of playing with alternative bands backed by major labels and large sums of money, it made SEVENDUST feel like they were "underdogs right away."

In an interview with Mark from MA Entertainment Global prior to SEVENDUST's October 9 concert at Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon, Rose was asked whether SEVENDUST developed its penchant for energetic live performances as a result of its participation in the 1998 "Ladies Night In Cambodia" tour, which was headlined by LIMP BIZKIT and featured CLUTCH and SEVENDUST as openers. "That was the beginning of that mindset," the drummer said. "It started before that, really, but before LIMP BIZKIT and CLUTCH, we went out with MEGADETH as well on [our 1997 self-titled] record and did Ozzfest ['98] on that record, but before all that, it was like we weren't invited to that party yet. We were playing with bands like THE NIXONS and SPONGE and cool rock bands, but there was no SLIPKNOT back then. So, we wanted to get invited into that world, but we were just the heaviest of these kinds of bands. We were playing with them and we would be stuck in the front of the stage and we respected it. We hadn't paid any dues yet, but I remember sitting there saying, 'They've got money behind them. They've got lights. They've got a full stage with all kind of cool trinkets up there. We've got this much room but nothing is going to save them for the next 40 minutes.' Our mentality was, 'You can do whatever you want, but you can't not have us put it on you for 40 minutes.' That's where that came from. We felt like we were underdogs right away."

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.

SEVENDUST is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "All I See Is War", which was released May 11 via Rise Records. The album was produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who has previously worked with Slash and ALTER BRIDGE, among other artists.