Let me commence this review by making a statement about myself: I’m a Down fanatic. I own two of their albums, I’ve seen them live, and I’ve learned a number of their songs on guitar. The band is awesome, and I won’t acknowledge anyone suggesting otherwise. Naturally, I’m also a sucker for that dirty blues sound that Down does so well. The two guitarists in Down, Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein, have both gotten the heavy blues riff down to a science, and their riffs rarely miss with me. But when I heard about the side project between the latter of those two and Hatebreed vocalist Jamey Jasta, called Kingdom of Sorrow, I wasn’t particularly galvanized enough to run out and pick up their new album, Behind the Blackest Tears.

My lack of excitement comes from the fact that I’m just not a big fan of either Hatebreed or Windstein’s original band Crowbar. I’ve listened to a little of both bands, and while I’ve liked what I’ve heard to an extent, neither have inspired me into listening to more. In particular, one of the things preventing from getting into Hatebreed is Jamey Jasta’s constant, monotonous roar. Even in the realm of harsh vocals, his voice just seems to lack in dynamic and range, and I think it ultimately detracts from the music of the bands he sings in, if not immediately then after a few songs. After an initial listen to Behind the Blackest Tears, however, I was given some hope at least; for I realized that what Kingdom of Sorrow essentially boils down to is the positive aspects of Crowbar replacing the negative aspects of Hatebreed to create something that is, to a degree, superior to the sum of its parts.

What I mean by this is that Windstein’s vocals, which are featured quite prominently in this album, help to alleviate Jasta’s at-times overbearing roar. Between Windstein’s gravely singing, Jasta’s roars and his decent attempts at cleaner vocals, there is enough variety to keep the critics of both of their original bands comfortable, at least for awhile. Songs like God’s Law in the Devil’s Land and Salvation Denied find the duo in almost perfect harmony, alternating vocal lines and providing some honest catchiness. In addition, From Heroes to Dust features Windstein’s vocals almost exclusively, and he shines with both his singing and guitar playing. Another positive aspect about the Windstein-Jasta combo is that their differing styles provide an interesting contrast; Windstein’s southern-fried riffs and solos are new territory for Jasta, who’s comfort zone is in urban hardcore. As such, fans of both bands, and even some fans of neither, will likely find some pleasure in Behind the Blackest Tears.

Unfortunately, when the riffs start to get old and the vocals repetitive, the album becomes somewhat boring. Anyone who has listened to “sludge” metal knows how quickly it can get dull when done badly, and some of the tracks on Behind the Blackest Tears definitely fall into that trap. A couple of surprisingly speedy tracks towards the tail-end of the album help to remedy this a bit, but ultimately, this album falls short of scaling any new or exciting heights. Fans of Hatebreed and Crowbar might actually love this album, but for the rest of us, it will really only serve as a decent reminder that the new Down album is still steadily rising on the horizon.