Single Bullet Theory "Route 666" CD
[Crash]
Ehhh... I didn't like their EP, and I don't like this either (and no, not just because of the stupid album title). They've got some good guitar riffs here and there, but that's about it. This time out they've taken their brand of groovy modern metal and thrown in some trendy metalcore mosh parts and dissonant chords, as well as a little bit of a melodic death metal flare, but just barely. I can appreciate the diversity, but it feels very unnatural and forced here... especially when compared to what they were doing on the EP, which was generally more aggressive. Ignoring both the fact that I still feel like their singer, who carries a wide range of styles from scathing screams to great singing, might be more effective using his voice in a traditional metal band and the fact that some of the new school influences here feel fabricated, the songs do have potential, I'll admit. They can write competent riffs and arrange them fairly well, however the less than ample production and relatively boring length of the bulk of the songs holds things back a lot. Of course they're using an awful drum sound that's completely thin and rigid. It totally sounds like a drum machine and is absolutely inexcusable aside from a few cymbals that sound decent. The guitar tone is alright, it's pretty heavy and has an edge, but the bass is pretty much invisible, and the vocals feel separated from the music. If this record had a sound like Machine Head's "Burn My Eyes" I think the songs would be a shitload more powerful and interesting, but that's not the case. They need to pull things together and add some warmth and density to get this material moving. Tracks like "Abduction" are actually pretty damn good, but topping the five-minute mark is unnecessary, as three to four would easily suffice. The layout's got its goods and bads. The cover is cool, I like the minimal use of color and the textures bordering the photo, and that look sort of continues with the band shot on the back, but everything else is pretty much black with plain text. A lot of space is wasted on thanks lists and shit like that, and they cram in only brief excerpts of the lyrics to each song on one panel of the booklet. Of course, lines like "Pulsing veins seams bursting the anger inside runs deep behind these eyes." Don't leave me hungering to see the complete content of the songs or anything, so whatever. This band just needs to decide what they want to do. They've got a lot of potential, and diversity is great, but I feel like they're randomly going in too many directions with no real cohesion or purpose. I mean, "Senseless (A Silent Sleep)" sort of sounds like a Fear Factory ripoff at times, the title track lifts many an influence from Lamb of God (probably why it's the best song on the disc)... I don't know what they're going for. I just can't get into 45 minutes worth of this stuff. (4/10)
Running time - 45:51, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Abduction, Route 666]
Crash Music - http://www.crashmusicinc.com

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