Nu Metal is one of those genres that Sputnik loves to hate. Some see it as poser metal; others see it as nothing more than music pandering to teenagers with anger issues. With that being said there seems to be a few diamonds in the rough, one of those being Flaw’s Endangered Species.
Though Flaw is often compared to Mudvayne, on this album the similarities seem to be few. The main differences being that they drop all hip-hop influences and incorporate heavy doses of melodies compared to previous releases. This seems to be a hit and miss with most fans, with some thinking that it was a sellout release. Personally, I believe the melodies make the album stand out more than some of its contemporaries. With songs like “Medicate”, “Final Cry”, and “You’ve Changed” Flaw show some aggression, but the rest of the album is full of nicely polished melodies.
Instrumentally, there is not much I can say, seeing as there seems to be a lack of anything special. The riffs are solid but nothing spectacular, the drums are a nice backbone to the guitars but don’t do much else, and although it’s a matter of production, the bass is pretty much inaudible through the whole album.
So if it hasn’t been made clear already, the album relies on the vocals to do anything interesting. Though that sounds like a daunting task for the vocalist, Volz seems to pull it off nicely. Not only does his voice show up many other artists within the genre, but his lyrics are a bit more mature and thought out than his contemporaries. The lyrics have less to do with violence, anger, and destruction, and more to do with warning about the future, optimism, and hope.
So this may be nothing groundbreaking, or extremely original, but Flaw have been able to put their own spin on a genre that has been beaten to death by kids with baseball bats, baggy pants, and unfocused rage. And that alone makes this album worth owning if you’re a fan of decent Nu Metal.
