FOCUS

A poor album that ought never to have been released in its current form.

Chief among the many sins committed by this group is the dreadful vocals. Though heavily processed, they still manage to sound thin. If the effect desired was to mask any lyrical merit, the album's producer has succeeded. The growls are risible, childlike in their execution and meaningless in the context of the music. A couple of songs begin promisingly (How Could I, for example), only for the mood to be shattered by the vocodered vocals. CYNIC, how could you?

The music itself is competently, sometimes outstandingly played, but spoiled by the production. The producer manages to make every instrument recessive. Compared to a well-engineered album like OPETH'S Blackwater Park, this is virtually unlistenable. One for the coaster collection. What a pity.