It takes more than a long and enigmatic title to make a great heavy music album. It also takes a lot more than a heap of guest appearances from many luminaries of the heavy music world. Or even a cover of a rap song. Or trying to sound ‘tough’.
It seems like this LA based band are trying every trick in the book to cover up their deficiencies, to blind the listener to the fact that this is just a lollypop metal album, with very little in the way of substance to it. Not even the presence of such greats as Rob Halford, Max Cavalera, Jamey Jasta and Maria Brink from In This Moment (who does a great job on ‘Anywhere But Here’) can lift this above mediocrity.
There is very little redeeming value here, the songs are, almost to a point, every day, mid paced heavy rock to metal tunes with clichéd riffs, grooves and lyrics. The musicianship is adequate, nothing more, and the production is big, messy and clunky. And the worst thing about it is the fact that there is apparently a Volume 2 on the way. God help us.
Are these guys actually taking the piss? Trying to make us think they are some kind of interesting/progressive rock band? They are quite the opposite.
If you want to hear some great hard rock and metal, check out what we’ve got going on here in Australia. Buy Twelve Foot Ninja or Bellusira’s album, and hear something with actual passion and realness. Again America proves that it can produce some of the world’s most interesting music, but can also produce detritus like this. Avoid.
2/10
Reviewer: Rod Whitfield
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RatoGkfbXYE