TOC (formerly Throne of Chaos) keeps pace with the other prog metal artists on the Inside Out roster with Loss Angeles. Mixing Queensryche sounds and vocals, with the occasional hardcore interlude, and the Faith No More rap/sing/speak style ("Break-A-Neck"), TOC doesn't explore any new territory, but they do exhibit some power throughout.
"Mary Lou is Dead" shows the widest vocal range, and is reminiscent of Geoff Tate's (Queensryche) gamut of emotions in "Silent Lucidity". "Wait" shines as the best track overall. A completely unnecessary cover of "Smoke on the Water" is played at breakneck speed, to the point of being almost unrecognizable.
"Blue Lady Suite" embraces the prog ethic, other than the fact that this instrumental clocks in at just under 90 seconds. "Acid Highway" and "Break-A-Neck" employ the gargling acid hardcore vocals that render both songs unintelligible. A somber "Bite the Bullet" redeems the latter quite well.
TOC seems at times to be a band that cannot decide which direction they want to take -- are they progressive or hardcore? As a result, Loss Angeles suffers from a lack of cohesion: sometimes it works really well, and other times not at all.
3 tocks
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