The music on Killing With A Smile is simply catchy as hell and equally as fast paced. Yes, the album does have it's slower moments, such as the stand out track "Romance Is Dead". Even most of the breakdowns on this disc are fast paced and not lazy. Only a few of these are slowed down, like on the track "Guns For Show, Knives For A Pro", but still retain a very heavy, commanding sound to them. This means you get some great guitar work and accompanying drums that will make you want to smash everything in your path whether you want to or not.

The main downfall to this release happens to be the lyrics. While they sound menacing from the band's nicely ranged vocalist, they are still the same overly used topic: Hatred towards a former loved one. While this works for some bands, such as Ill Nino and, more notably in this style, Bleeding Through, these lyrics feel like the same ones we've heard before from many bands in this style. A good majority of them aren't even that creative and sound like they came out of a teenagers journal after just being dumped and finding out he was used. The other issue happens to be that, prior to almost every breakdown on the album, the music slows down or stops and the vocalist shouts something. Or, as shown on "Guns For Show, Knives For A Pro" and "Picture Perfect, Pathetic", whenever the vocalist feels like it. This winds up slowing the music down at times and just sound rather immature compared to the sound the band has.

If you're looking for a good CD that will make you break the speed limit, then chances are this will do the trick for a while. Even with the aforementioned issues with lyrics and repetitiveness, Killing With A Smile is still a kick to the throat. It's heavy, fast, and commands your attention right from the start.

written by Jason Thomas Weiss

Playing time: 39.42