Ehhh, I'm not really into this. It's not nu-metal per se, but the slap bass sort of throws me off, and there are definitely some simplistic detuned grooves here that are comparable to what I would classify as the heavier and less melodic side of nu-metal. The thing I hate the most are the singing vocals, as they're sort of grungy and strained, almost like a poor man's Alice in Chains, with no real range. The aggressive vocals are actually pretty good, a little basic and the vocal patterns need work, but the singing... I'll pass. Have the guy take major singing lessons or get rid of those aspects altogether. Some of the melodic riffing in "Sympathy" is actually cool, and when they play really thick, nasty chord progressions I actually love a few of the rhythms... it's the uppity rhythm patterns that add that tacky sort of grooviness to some of the chord progressions. The bassist is pretty good so he should just do more finger work and cut the slap stuff. The biggest problem is the production. It sounds like a decent demo, as the mix is unbalanced and the tones just don't pack a punch. The drums are totally rigid and drown out a lot of the guitar and bass parts, the slap bass (which to me doesn't really fit their style) snaps out and also sort of adds unnecessary noise to the mix, and the vocals just sound a little flat. Actually, everything sounds a little flat. With a really thick, professional sound I think I could enjoy some of these songs just for being heavy as hell. I'm not into the packaging because it's all a little slapped together and jumbled in some respects, portions are tolerable, but overall it's not all that professional, though at least they did give it their best shot. The lyrics are fragmented and full of angst, but I'm not really into that aspect either. They don't necessarily make a lot of sense: "I am the slave who is never freed, Illiterate I could not read, Inside of hell I mate I breed..." This just isn't for me. They're doing what they enjoy, so hey, I can't fault them for that, but... they could do better than this, I believe.
[Reversed]
Running time - 18:17, Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: no one track stands above the others, just riffs here and there]
Jaw - http://www.xjawx.com
