Ehhh, I'll pass. There are some killer riffs on this thing, but the recording is sort of obnoxious and the band's style is 100% derivative, so I just can't get into it. The songs are around two minutes each but there are about 100 riffs per song, ranging from straight death metal to frantic and chaotic metalcore, chugga chugga mosh to weird jazz breaks, or curious discordance to melodic Swedish riffing - all the while with vocals hovering mainly with a low growl that occasionally shifts to a hoarse snarl. I mean, you know exactly what kind of riffs to expect here, be it the weedle-deedle metalcore noodling or the tremolo picking nonsense that drowns "Better Than God". There's one insanely awesome riff 35 seconds into opener "Old New One" that explores melody with more creativity, but that's the only spot on the disc that really grabbed my attention. Almost everything else is entirely unoriginal and I've heard it a million times before, but the fact that they're cramming all of the shit into two-minute songs makes things sound even more jumbled and incomplete. As for the recording, it sounds okay after your ears adjust, but the guitars have a distant sheen to 'em, the drums are way too clicky and up front, and there's no bass guitar in the mix at all. The vocals sound pretty good and it seems like they're on the right track with the guitar tone, but everything needs more natural warmth and depth, and the bass needs to fill the gaps better for sure (though a stronger drum sound would help in that regard as well). The layout keeps it simple with a decorative wallpaper sort of pattern, one band photo, and the lyrics. It looks alright, though it's nothing to write home about. Silly song titles like "James Berardinell is the Smartest Man on the Internet" in tow, the lyrics don't really make a lot of sense: "You are the reason for my existence, I taste the sound of separation, You just used your last life, You just used your last life..." Whatever, you know? This stuff just doesn't do anything for me. The band members all look really young, so that might have something to do with their lack of innovation, but... I don't know what else to say. I guess I'll mention that they seem to be tight players, so... they've got that and one or two killer riffs working in their favor, but they ought to be pushing for something more. Without a stronger sense for putting actual songs together, not just streaming a bunch of riffs, they're just gonna get lost in a sea of similar acts.
[Five Point]
Running time - 10:37, Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: none of them really stand out]
Five Point Records - http://www.fivepointrecords.com
