This EP shows an intriguing sound from an interesting band. The group seems to flirt around with a lot of different sounds including classic metal, nu-metal, hardcore, thrash and even technical metal. Yet, somehow they weave this into a sound that is very much cohesive and their own. They include a couple covers and even then manage to make the songs their own while still preserving much of the originals.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2010 Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Cruel Intentions
Seriously crunchy, this is a great modern metal tune. The guitar soloing has an almost technical metal edge. In some ways the cut makes me think of Megadeth, though.
Get Dead Thrashy and raw, this is another powerhouse. It’s not as complex or unique as the original, though. Still, it rocks.
Slave to the Grind Here the band cover Skid Row. It seems an odd choice consider the raw thrashy nature of this group, but somehow they make it work, bending it to their style while still preserving some of the nature of the original. This feels very much like a Metallica song the way they do it, though.
The Hellion/Electric Eye Considering how different the band’s sound seems from that of Judas Priest they do an amazing version of this twofer. It’s got plenty of Priest in the performance and yet it still fits with the rest of the stuff here. This is cool.
Eye for an Eye (live) This is the first of two live songs that close the EP. It’s hard edged and a little raw, but also quite tasty. It’s obvious they had the crowd on their feet for this. That said, the guitar solo seems to get a little muddy at times.
Glimpse of Light (live) Although this starts off in a very hardcore sort of way it is changed out into a more powerful modern metal jam after a while. I wasn’t blown away by it early on, but it definitely works at points. It does get some more hardcore related weirdness as they carry on.
