This was an older find I pulled out of storage, so I don't specifically recall if I bought this solely because it was cheap, or because the band was listed at Metal Archives. I've heard none of their other material. Before this they were apparently a metalcore band, and after this, they were some kind of groove/Southern metal. Unfortunately, it looks like they had commercial aspirations with this album and severely softened, as it's mostly (somewhat) heavied up rock, like something for the Ozzfest crowd.
The opening track has a groove riff and gang "HEY!" chants which deceived me into thinking the album might be Hellyeah/Black Label Society type stuff. Already it's got quite a rockish feel. The vocals generally sound more fitting for an alternative rock band, although he tends to add a lot of Hetfield inflections. The next two songs are unfortunately more representative of what the majority of the album is like--a mix of Pillar, Nickelback, Skillet, and Alter Bridge, mixed with varying amounts of Southern rock influences, heavier groove riffs, and some occasional metallic guitarwork.
There are a few exceptions. The upbeat "We Die Young" offers riffage closer to classic metal guitarwork and moves a bit closer to something like Avenged Sevenfold than the bands I previously mentioned. The quite decent solo section is probably as metal as the album ever gets. Then the title track has Pantera-influenced groove riffing combined with the singer at his most Hetfield-ish. It's not that interesting to me personally but I can't deny it feels more inspired than the alt. rock stuff. "Forget My Name" is more uptempo and sounds like it has more of a hair band/'80s hard rock influence, which again I don't necessarily want to hear, but in context is more appealing than the alternative. Literally.
The cover of Kansas' "Carry On Wayward Son" is easily the most interesting track out of everything, though it's only a competent cover, not an especially great one. The vocal style is a major shortcoming here. For the last track "Death Finds Us Breathing," at first I wasn't sure if the clean vocalled verses were the band reverting to a more emo side of their past, or were something more Creed/Alter Bridge inspired. Considering there's a breakdown with metalcore vox, I'm guessing the former.
There are certainly metal influences here, especially in the guitarwork, but having them alone does not a satisfying listen make. This is clearly music made to appeal to the hard alternative crowd.
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