Topsy-Turvy
You wait all your life for an Armenian-American nu-metal band from Los Angeles with an incomprehensible name and along come a thousand at once. The Apex Theory not only shareSystem of a Down's hometown and ethnic background, the quartet also seems to have mastered the art of setting potent sociopolitical messages to freeform wailing guitars and angry tribal rhythms. The noisy exotica of "Shhh... (Hope Diggy)" is truly something to savor, while the aural assault of "Mucus Shifters" goes some distance in matching System's manic intensity. But it's the cluster of tracks at the end mixed by Alan Moulder (My Bloody Valentine,Curve) that truly sets the Apex Theory apart. Part foreign fantasy, part unadulterated white noise, they are the sound of a band forging a path uniquely their own.--Aidin Vaziri