10. Torched
Torched sees the band firing on all cylinders for the big finish, a snarling beast of a riff scratching at the door to be let in the resulting send-off being an immediate standout as one of the most ferocious on all of Kill the Flaw. Lowerys bouncy intro riff makes a few reprises, but its the traded guttural growls that go hand-in-hand with Witherspoons lighter tones that really make for one hell of a final track. Tons of bands are moving away from the sorts of aggressive vocals that made them so enjoyable back in the day, and although that's somewhat true for Sevendust here, songs like this prove they're not afraid to reapply their older ways, pleasing fans both old and new simultaneously. And that final breakdown where the band go hell-for-leather, cranking up the intensity and delivering a crescendo that'll command your neck into a variety of right angles? It's glorious.
9. Letters
Guys like Lajon Witherspoon, Myles Kennedy, hell, even Five Finger Death Punchs Ivan Moody know exactly when to fall back on their melodic sensibilities, and like those respective artists landmark efforts Watch Over You or Battle Born, Letters is an initially more heartfelt track that transforms into a real stadium-filler across its 3:51 runtime. It must be said the start of this does sound a little too 'poppy' for my tastes, but such a potentially devastating route is thoroughly veered away from when the chorus comes barrelling in; a brilliantly anthemic feel switching up the tempo multiple times to give Letters a pretty standout feel by comparison to everything else here. On the whole, Kill the Flaw tends to dial down the guitarwork of Clint and John in favour of upping the harmonious qualities of their vocals, and although Letters is a high-point of everything they do well, there's a prominent held note near the close of this track where a followup guitar solo could've been icing on the cake.