The first song could be mistaken for an early demo of U2 before they ever broke big. "Goodbye" as in "kiss it," has a rough and raw feel that's actually very refreshing in the wake of all of the squeaky clean productions that have surfaced. Wow, then "Box of Chocolates" thunders its way in and I'm a little thrown back. I never expected the degree of raunchiness I'm hearing in the music. Who is this again? Spite? Well the singer's nothing you haven't heard before, where he'll at times scream high above the heavy bass- driven fuzz rock background and then return to a calmer style going along as the music calms its otherwise intensified mood.

The cool thing about this group is that here we are into the fourth song "Me & Slim," and I'm not scratching my head trying to figure out which style their doing next. It's pretty straightforward technology driven abrasive rock and noise, comparable to many of today's tightly wound scenesters like Rage. and Korn. But more explosive indeed, not unlike a Marilyn Manson when his band cranks into a double fisted guitar barrage and he a verbal tirade. Spite won't need to be taken lightly. They're a live band featured on a studio disc basically.

I'm not sure how the singer/songwriter could have contributed much to the overall theme of exploring the ongoing meltdown taking place on our planet as he's admitted to staying out of touch with reality. So the brunt of the of the social and political challenge must have come from the other members but strictly speaking, "Bastard Complex" or "child" as they see it shoots straight from the hip. But do we really need to travel to "Callipornia" to get us some American pie? Their sound is very thick, and the drum echo is stirring-an absolute ringing in both ears! Or is that from the guitars? These guys are really a hard-core band I think that's grown overly fond of studio post-production. The underground feel of the production and the genuine quality of Spite as a thinking man's band makes "Bastard Complex" a real cancer in the world of corporate hypocrisy.