Potential Threat SF "s/t" CD
[self-released]
Hmmm... what do I make of this? It's definitely too groovy for me. I'm pretty sure I don't really like it. But it does have some redeeming moments. It's sort of like modern thrash (think early Machine Head) mixed with Prong circa "Cleansing" and a little Biohazard or something. It's not nu-metal groovy, but it is oversimplified sometimes. What I do like are the fact that the vocals, while not great, are at least trying to hit that classic thrash style that's sort of gruffly sung... they're not totally clean, but it's not shouting either (sometimes they do sound like James Hetfield back in the day), so if they can nail that it would be cool. I'm glad that they're at least making the attempt and coming close. And there are some musical redemptions as well. Now and then a cool little melodic riff will drop, and even though it's a fairly uneventful EP the songwriting is at least competent. I've heard worse. A couple of songs are too long, even if they do bring in more influences (the clean/sludgy intro to "Against the Grain" or the tribal-esque drum patterns littering "Endless Fall From Grace"), but nothing really jumps out at me here. Production? So-so. It'd be suitable if the songs were really good, but the guitars need more crunch, the mix needs to balance the vocals and guitars against the rhythm section, etc. It's alright, there's just a little extra midrange in there, and the unbalanced mix leaves some gaps behind the vocals. The layout's alright, it gets the job done, but it's nothing exciting. There's a photo of some statues of soldiers on the cover, a few band shots and credits inside, and that's it. No lyrics, etc. I don't know, this is one of those records that's just bland. I don't hate it, I have no overwhelmingly negative comments, it's just boring and there's no punch to it on any level. (4/10)
Running time - 24:33, Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: I'm not really struck by anything]
Potential Threat SF - http://www.potentialthreatsf.com

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