Review Summary: ...well, at least Flaw is back together for good, or so it seems. But the guys have a lot of work to do before they reach their old level again.
Whatever the genre, if you look around, you'll find some representatives with certain elements that will make the outcome appeal to you more than the generic blueprint existing in public consciousness. In the case of nu metal, one of the bands that somehow caught my ear was Flaw – somewhat uneven at times, sporting tinny production, but having a specific emotional edge over the competition. However heavy any given song would be, Chris Volz would supply a genuine, powerful melody floating on top, its sincereness blowing whatever other corporate product put by it clean out of the water. It sounded like Flaw wasn't merely after media presence – they've been together and playing this particular style before Korn made it big (and the rest of the bang followed). However, inner tension and Volz's personal turmoil led to the band's untimely demise soon after their second major label album hit the shelves.
Eventually, a Flaw reunion occurred. All too soon, the Flaw reunion spiraled out of control and into the mind-bogging misinformation of the final pre-breakup days. One band member leaving due to having a full-time lawyer career, but somehow being able to make a new band with Volz as the others attempt to wrestle the Flaw name away from them... the new band becoming Flaw again... the “real” Flaw is searching for a singer... each of the multitude of Myspaces had a different version and nobody, most likely including the guys themselves, knew what was really happening. Rock bottom was hit in early 2009, with immature and abusive messages making it to the “main” Flaw Myspace before vanishing into dust and a prompt declaration that “hired guns hacked the account” taking its place. At this point, some of the die-hards that have been hanging around for years, hoping that the constant declarations of a new album or at least a proper tour would become reality, just decided to give up waiting...
...and surprise, surprise! Right as the story stooped to a cheap, slow-motion soap opera struggle, a seemingly real Flaw solidified, with fixed members for each instrument, touring plans and an album declaration to boot. Again. Except, this time it turned out to be true – currently, the guys are playing gigs across the States, and a somewhat intriguingly titled “Homegrown Studio Sessions” is waiting for your ten bucks on Digstation. The album name is questionable at best – okay, they aren't on a label and are doing it all independently, but don't a million better reunion record names jump to mind?
The bloated introduction wasn't accidental – the story of Flaw is somewhat more interesting than the music at hand. It seems that the years of melodrama really cost the guys, since the offered songwriting is heavily uninspired for the majority of the disc. “Concealed” is a notable exception, perfectly going from a jagged tritone groove to a trademark Flaw chorus, Volz's vocal melodies holding it all together in place. The song would have felt right at home on Endangered Species. However, even this tune isn't free of issues – whoever was behind the controls made an awful job, shoddy Pro Tools editing is abound, tons of tiny skips in single tracks make for an annoying listen, taking away from the song's appeal.
Another song with potential is “Voices” – a demo version of it surfaced on the band's Myspace quite some time ago, and it was very solid. The guys managed to craft a ballad that included more guitar presence, Volz's characteristic emotional delivery and some slightly more intriguing harmonies. Somehow, they managed to make all the wrong choices when working on it later – this is the first “overproduced” piece of demo recording I heard, with unnecessary keyboard presence that detracts from the song's compact strength and the solo getting rerecorded, only this time with a wussy amp setting and an overall playing manner reeking of a guitar newbie noodling. Some additional lead work got pasted in the intro... but it doesn't quite make up for what the solo used to be.
The rest of the disc is nothing to write home about, really... the band sounds limp and lifeless, Volz's delivery is apathetic and lazy, and the quality of the songwriting has already been mentioned. Whilst Flaw never had luck with production, this is a new low – this has all of the bad traits of a demo recording without any of the good. Add some messy editing and you get “Homegrown Studio Sessions”... one good thing that has to be said is that within the context of Flaw, lead guitar presence works. Some other reunited nu metal riders (Motograter, I'm looking at you) make it a focal point to brag that they have solos now, but their leads are forced, skill-less and boring. Andy Russ, Flaw's new guitarist, is a competent player, and some of his work on here is interesting, livening the songs up a little. “Alive Again” would be perfectly skippable if not for a series of intriguing licks that sound like Buckethead stumbled around the studio as the guys were laying down tracks for this, and “Sick Disease”'s focused lead coupled with some odd chord placement make me try to imagine what would some of the old tunes sound like with soloing in them. Lance Arny, the other guitarist, has his moments too, but it's mostly the new addition who rips it up.
Even after a seemingly stable Flaw came to be and became productive, more rumors are abound – that the band will find a label, rerecord this and release it to the wider public then (currently, the only way you can obtain this is by going to Digstation or picking up a copy at a gig). If this is true, I hope that by then the guys will liven up a bit and rewrite about half of the album. Other than “Concealed” and “Voices”, songs that can stay relatively unaltered would include “Walls” (potentially good if Volz puts himself a bit more into it), “Somebody's Victim” (hope that a real studio will let them lose the plastic, twangy acoustic tone) and “Blood Red Sky” (even if it sounds like a Redemption b-side). The rest should be disposed of or heavily reworked. Whilst I'm happy that Flaw is back and out of the farcical melodrama, it seems they still need some time to refocus and start really delivering again. “Homegrown Studio Sessions” has some moments, but is easily their worst record yet. If you feel a deep inner need to check this out, cough up two bucks for “Concealed” and “Voices” and forget the rest exists.
