Ok, ok. So lyrics aren't really a vital part of metal (see Cannibal Corpse, but it's not like you can understand the singer anyway), but the band must have some other compensatory strength. Since the band is from Sweden, it is not hard to believe that they have taken to a Meshuggah-ish guitar tone. But tone is about as far as the comparisons go. Technicality is nonexistent and the grooves are not catchy. The effort required by a paid musician to record these riffs is comparable to me sitting in my living room, strumming the E-string of a guitar in drop D for an hour. Pitiful. Furthermore, the tired industrial drum rhythms get old after 5 minutes.

There is not a single song on this disc that reaches through the speakers and grabs the listener. They get points for “Without a Case” and “Breakout,” the heaviest song on the album. These two might have made one round on a radio station that plays the likes of Static-X, but then again I haven't listened to the radio in years. If nu-metal had any momentum left, this album put an end to it. Nothing original. Nothing worth hearing.

written by Kevin Penner

Playing time: 39:18