Sifting through my latest promo packages from beyond the sea, this American doozy stood out with multiple factors typical to modern metal in my mind after a couple of listening rounds. The band’s name is stupefyingly goofy. The vocal microphones are handled by a gruff male screamer and a sultrier female croon*. Musically there’s a lot of mingling with hardcore while also keeping a firm grip on more technical, yearning-for-Meshuggah-style rhythmics. Everything is spiced up with sprinkles of electronic sound effects. And beneath all the hoopla, the song material itself is painfully unmemorable.

To give credit where it is due, it becomes quickly clear that these guys are monstrously gifted in terms of chops. They can play and then some. The instrumental flashes that make the clunky breakdowns somewhat bearable also make the album intriguing at first, but fizzle out in the long term. There are moments that show glimpses of potential. The Map takes a break from the hyperactive chops and works the ears well with a more mellow dynamic. The nifty latin-infused groove found in the middle part of Carnage Asada is the kind of intriguing, left field-idea that I’d like to hear more of. Having Steve Vai over for a guitar guesting on the track is always a bonus too. But most of time, the musical side of things is wrecked by the songs being both all over the place and devoid of actual hooks, memorable lines, or something that would grab my attention for more than three seconds. It’s like the ADD-nature of the music is giving me ADD. Superlative skills on the instruments is not met with an equal or an even approaching level of song writing.

What doesn’t help the overall package is the uneven quality of the vocals. The male roaring leans onto the side of “monotone vomiting” that is just so one-dimensional that it doesn’t sit in well with the very colourful if disjointed music. The female vocals in turn are simply plain. They’re not bad nor spectacular, just kinda there. So again, not something that makes me want to return to this record in any case. Overall, I am unimpressed. If a lite-version of The Dillinger Escape Plan tickles your interest just right, have at this. And I guess I should make it clear outright that those more inclined to enjoy metalcore in general have a better chance to like this album and can adjust the score accordingly. I gave it a fighting chance, but was left where I started from.

* POST-PUBLISH note: It was commendably pointed out to me that this album actually has only one lead vocalist. The said female crooner also takes care of the growls. This does cast a much more favourable light on her scale overall, but doesn't change my feeling about the monotony of the aggro vocals. Take that as you will.