
Things kick off with bouncy opener Signal Flares with crunchy drums by Drew Miller and thick chugging riffing supplied by guitarist Justin Dabney. The influences are front and center here (as they are throughout the album) and every time I hear this track, I keep thinking that Chino from Deftones does guest vocals on the chorus, indeed the vocal delivery by front man Dylan Hart Kleinhans really is uncanny in its similarity every time he starts screaming.
Things continue apace with tracks ratD4GG3R (I don’t think I’m every going to get behind the replacing letters with number thing) which has a very catchy chorus and a nice groove to it. Order_66 starts like a lost Korn track circa 1992 and indeed continues like one too. Next track #RAGE has a groovy guitar track and excellent bass work by Glenn Desormeaux and a great breakdown towards the end of the song.
Master Manipulator gives us more of the same, these guys really can write a catchy chorus! Dying star does nothing to upset the template laid down in the first half of the album. Penultimate track Nothing ups the F Bombs considerably and would not sound out of place as a B side from Around the Fur era Deftones, it’s really rather good. Album closer tries Glow starts off with some slower paced song craft and flirts with pop sensibilities with cheery synths, Linkin Park would be a good touch stone for this song.
Overall, how you respond to this album depends entirely on how you feel about Nu-Metal music. If you like Nu-Metal and a catchy chorus, groovy bouncy riffs with crunchy drum sounds then there is a lot to like here. If you do not get on with the genre then I don’t think there is going to be anything on here which changes your mind.
Simon