File Under: Metal/Goth rating: D tracks 1. The Open Door (intro) 2. Black All Over 3. Like A Disease 4. Father 5. Knee Deep In The Dead 6. Everything I 7. Sad Excuse For A Grip 8. Perfect Woman 9. Bury You 10. Personal Jesus 11. Can't Gey Away 12. Kill Greedy 13. No Answer (outro) related links Artemis Records

“Think Rob Zombie meets Slayer, hard riffs with growling vocals that contain a hint of harmony.” That was the first line I wrote when hearing the first minute of this CD. The potential was amazing. Creepy metal with disturbing themes and a great lead-in. There is no way this could not be the best album of the year right?

The buzz was there. This band got noticed due to its amazing download numbers on mp3.com and it made its way onto various radio stations with no label support. There was no way this band could not be the next metal gods.

Well, this band officially dropped the ball. Note to band: Metal riffs accompanied by whiny, withdrawn vocals do not work unless you are Layne Staley, and with his recent demise, we know he is not behind this band. The fury of these songs set you on fire inside until the first minute ends and you are subjected to the boring laid back parts. Combining two styles of metal do not work when it is a part of every song. Sometimes you must stray from the blueprint.

The biggest personal letdown on this album is “Father.” This track reminded me of Slayer’s “Disciple,” it got the blood flowing and made me forget all about the previous letdown of the other tracks, but then it happened, the breakdown. No matter how strong this band made a song, it could not withstand the idiotic breakdowns. A humorous cover of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus” definitely makes for something to download from the web, but beyond that it is all disappointment.

So much potential is in this band. The songwriting for the first minute of every song was brilliant, but then came the breakdown. This band had the chance to become something I would wholeheartedly endorse, but they got to the red zone too many times only to fumble the ball.

Samuel Barker is Senior Editor. Contact him at suma@rockzone.com.