Shut Your Breath
The Cali combo Simon Says serve up their own style of Ozzfest-friendly hard music on a strong sophomore outing of melodic nu metalwithoutthe rap andwithstrong vocal melodies. Singer Matt Frank's vocals are dramatic but not overwrought on creepy-cool songs such as "Syphon" and on the portentous yet gentle "Tourniquet," while Simon Says's musicality boasts just enough heavy riffage on the mostly midtempo selections. The songs have room to breathe as the simple, solid-rock production sets Simon Says apart from nu-metal brethren who cram too much into a tune.Shut Your Breathis a cohesive, impressive effort from a band clearly coming into their own.--Katherine Turman