Between The Never And The Now
If a record company devised a formula for the all-encompassing rock album, the result would probably sound something likeBetween the Never and the Now. Wide-eyed emo sensitivity, nu-metal chug, old-metal screaming, skate-punk sing-alongs, Goth-rock doom, and grunge gloom coalesce in the Seattle five-piece's appealing debut. For the most part, the mish-mash works surprisingly well, thanks to the extra anguish, circular guitars, and operatic vocals. "Stay Home" and "Lipstick Tourniquet" wallows in manic grandeur and the jaunty slacker chorus of "Opiate Summer" contrasts appealingly with the demonic verses. The pieces don't always fit: "PS Love the Black" is a mind-numbing nightmare of styles that lumbers along like Frankenstein's monster. That said, when singer Zack Davidson bellows "You're the champion of my bleeding heart" as "There Only Is" crescendos, the formula is hard to knock.--Dan Gennoe