“The future of metal has arrived” is loudly proclaimed on the cover sticker of this New Jersey-born metal band. Yes, it did, in 1984 when Finland’s Stratovarius formed. Or maybe in ‘99, when Sonata Arctica took inspiration from their country-mates and came to be. In other words, this might sound very familiar to fans of the above bands, save for one rather disjointed element: the incorporation of American metalcore influences. Therefore, you have campy power metal rubbing elbows with Yankee bro-core. Ew. This is listenable, certainly. There are even enjoyable elements, occasionally. But to call this album “the future of metal” would leave me otherwise very worried about the state of the metalhead union. – if it wasn’t so utterly forgettable, that is.

Published in Volume 64, Number 21 of The Uniter (March 4, 2010)