Review Summary: A sophomore effort that shows the band stepping away from their Nü-Metal roots and maturing significantly.
Nothingface was a metal band that came a long way during their short existence. The started as a typical, if not slightly below average, Nü-Metal band and evolved into a more groove-based metal band. Their first offering was slightly annoying, as it was only a very standard offering within the realms of the genre, with terribly repetitive and predictable song structures. However, their second album is a much better album that represents the band, and the potential they had, very well.
The album starts off a bit on the heavier side, with a simplistic, yet effective, drum/guitar accompaniment that leads into the main riff that yet again isn't remarkably technical, but gets the job done. The next thing introduced is the vocalist, who is surprisingly good. He has a very "full" scream that is, for the most part, completely decipherable, and he also has a smooth singing voice that is very satisfying, especially considering the genre they were confined to. The guitarist is fairly standard throughout, and never really shows off, save for a few moments of whammy bar abuse on certain tracks. The bassist, surprisingly, has a relatively large part in keeping the band interesting, because he doesn't simply follow the guitar like so many other bassists do. He actually has his own riffs that are fairly impressive. The drummer almost completely separates himself from the band because of the absolute dominance he has over the kit. He keeps the songs structured while at the same time keeps them ever-changing. The most impressive thing about the drummer is that he even throws in a few polyrhythms into the mix and keeps the listener guessing as to when the song will change pattern.
The negatives to this album, while not in a large abundance, are very noticeable. First, this is definitely an album that was from a band's stages of establishing their signature sound, and sometimes falls flat to what it attempts to accomplish. Second, the production is a bit odd at times. Occasionally, the cymbals will be in an overabundance and drown out the rest of the band, and once in a while, the vocals will sound muffled, and become lost in the mix.
In retrospect, this is an above-par album that shows the potential the band had during the course of their all-too-short career. Throughout the album, you will be satisfied with the material presented, and amazed at certain points, primarily because of the vocalist and drummer.
