Review Summary: If you are willing to just rock out on stage or at home, just pop this in and Git 'r' Done.
Taproot is a band that has gotten much animosity from their album 'Welcome', and have tried to evolve out of their first nu-metal sounding album 'Gift'. They have released 'Blue Sky Research', which is a more mellow side of the group from Ann Arbor, Michigan. 'Gift' is my favorite album from these guys, because he has a versatile voice when he screams. The singing gets a bit nasaly at times, but it can manage.
Taproot is:
Steve Richards - vocals
Mike DeWolf - guitar
Phil Lipscomb - bass
Jarrod Montague - drums
This CD takes a big start and 'Smile' is what starts this hard rocking album. It has a "quietly" sung verse and the chorus, he screams like no tomorrow. "Again & Again" is the single off of this song, and is probably the most mellow song on the album. I use the word mellow in the sense that there isn't as much screaming on this song as there are on the other. "Now", is my favorite song on the CD and it has a very eerie, but promising intro. Steve is screaming "Now" throughout the song, and the bass is very audible and doesn't hug the guitar as much as it usually does. "Believed" features some rap in it, just Steve doing his best. The guitar comes in hard after the intro and the bass makes it feel like an alternative 'rap' song. Good overall song, shows some versatility.
"Mentobe" is another standout track on the CD, as it has a very intriguing intro. The intro has like an boiler room feel to it, like you're in a silo, but the guitar adds to the effect. The chorus is very well sung and the overall song is good. "Dragged Down" has a KoRn-like feel to it, the bass is relavent, but toneless in this song. Another song to rock out to. The drums are outstanding in this song.
What I like about this CD:
Steven Richards has one of the best screams in Nu-Metal, and he uses it well. Jarrod has some very complicated drum parts in this CD, and he makes them sound so easy. Hats up for him for creating such strong drumbeats. The bass is at least audible (Linkin Park..........). Each song has a different feel, for the most part. The Harmonics are used well, when they come up. Steven's rapping is pretty good, especially being a nu-metal band. These guys can sound like one rock group one second, and then sound like a completely different band the next.
What I don't like about the CD:
Steven Richards sounds really nasaly when he sings on the CD, but he is screaming half the time, so he makes up for it. There are no guitar solos (duh, it is nu-metal), especially when there is a cool drum beat. :(. They can get REALLY repetative. Sometimes, they sound toneless.
My Overall Rating:
I will give this a 4/5, only because it is nu-metal, and his vocals can get really annoying at some point. If you are willing to just rock out on stage or at home. Just pop this in and Git 'r' Done. This is very well done for nu-metal, and is comparable to Mudvayne's Lost And Found CD.
Recommended Songs:
Smile
Again & Again
Now
Dragged Down
Mentobe
Definately worth the $11.00, especially if you like nu-metal and screaming or you are a fan of Taproot.
4/5
