"The Past" is the second single from the Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow album produced by the American heavy metal

Heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 band Sevendust

Sevendust

Sevendust is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and guitarist Clint Lowery joined the group...

. This song, with lead vocals from Lajon Witherspoon

Lajon Witherspoon

Lajon Witherspoon is the vocalist for the Atlanta-based alternative metal band Sevendust. Members from such bands as Staind, Seether, Alter Bridge, and Diecast have listed Lajon and Sevendust as musical influences. In March 2008, Lajon was recognized in Hit Parader's magazine as one of the "Top...

 and featuring guest vocals by American Idol performer Chris Daughtry

Chris Daughtry

Christopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Daughtry and as the fourth-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol, from which he was eliminated on May 10, 2006...

, is a bit of a departure for the band, falling more into the Post Grunge category than what fans have come to expect from Sevendust

Sevendust

Sevendust is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and guitarist Clint Lowery joined the group...

. "Sorrow", another song found on Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow, is similar in tone and also contains guest vocals, this time by Myles Kennedy

Myles Kennedy

Myles Richard Kennedy is an American musician and singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Alter Bridge, and as the lead vocalist in Slash's current solo project...

. Sevendust

Sevendust

Sevendust is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and guitarist Clint Lowery joined the group...

 has not yet created a music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 for "The Past".

Song meaning

The song was written as a song of hope and with have positive message to look back on your life and reflect and to feel good about getting through the rough times that everyone goes through, the roller coaster of life so to speak.

Singles

Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

(North America)

Year	Chart	Position
2008	Mainstream Rock Tracks	27