Moving through the album one does not hear, but rather is abused by the relentless Hardcore bark that hearkens back to Tomas Lindberg's almost over-exposed pipes. More than just hints of At The Gates highly influential sound also abound on this album. The guitar work is tight and technically executed. While the bass sounds just a bit thin for the most part, the drums are upfront in the mix but not in an overpowering way. This album has almost all of the requisite sounds at appropriate levels and the production is crisp, clean, and clear -- perhaps not unlike a good beer....

On "Sirens Singing" clean vocals can be heard that invoke other hardcore bands that look to softer sounds for an accent via actual dynamics. This measure does not fail, either, though it does sound almost hackneyed, perhaps borrowed from the latest In Flames debacle. That aside, this CD moves along encompassing Killswitch Engage, Meshuggah, and even Tool -- on "Hollow Inside" there is an isolated bass line with chanted vocals that is unmistakably Tool. This, of course, as with all other less in-your-face passages, is waylaid by the band’s formidable Hardcore crunch.

Of note is "The Architect" which, at track 6, actually appears to be a segue between the first and second half of the album. It is as if the band is intent on dominating the cassette or LP market. Otherwise this track breaks up the pace of the album without really disrupting the flow as the pummeling continues in earnest thereafter.

While not the most original thing to come down the pipe, and with a moniker that might not be too memorable, this is a well put together release that features precise playing and memorable riffs that seem to invoke all the lastest and most popular elements of the rising Metalcore scene. In fact, this will fit nicely on your shelf next to Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage and God Forbid. Well, not if you file your music alphabetically, that is. \m/

written by Tony Belcher

Playing time: 43.22