"Music with more muscle" came the slightly distorted and very deep voice at the start of this album. I groaned. Phrases like that, while possibly amusing in the studio, never put me in a good frame of mind when listening to an album. I let it continue anyway. The first track sounds like fairly cliched 80s rock, except for an unusual and rather confusing middle section, which kept my attention better than most albums like this. The next few tracks continued in a similar mould, technically proficient, but with only the odd touch keeping me interested. The vocals and lyrics are fairly good, and all in English, which made it easier to listen to for me. The English is pretty good, definitely a step above some other bands I could mention. As the album continues there is a diversity in the rock sounds used, from fairly soft stuff, with some nice harmonies, to the fairly heavy (but not quite into metal territory). The guitar work is pretty strong but some of the drums sound a little synthetic (and there are some electronic tricks pulled in). The technical chops evident suggest that with some development these guys could put out a strong, creative album. For now they are just good at what they do, which isn't enough to stand out.
3 tocks
