Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

I think it is safe to say that the metal scene is living in the age of the mediocre. For every great album that is released, there are ten albums that are completely boring and uninspired. Look at The Final Dawn, for example. This album sounds like they copied notes from Shadow's Fall and Lamb of God, but at least those bands worked hard to get where they are. How many times am I supposed to complain about chugging, “brutal” riffs before everyone gets tired of my whining? How can labels afford to make these albums with overly perfect production values and a complete lack of musicianship? This is an album that is going to be carelessly bought like a fast food meal that you quickly regret eating.

The album itself is plagued with standard metalcore riffs and tough-guy lyrics that would have been appropriate back in the early '90s. The album is ten tracks of complete mediocrity. They never do anything cringe-worthy, but there is absolutely nothing that sets them apart from the rest of the metalcore scene. Formulaic breakdowns round out the recipe for an album that would make a great gift for someone who can't tell As I Lay Dying from Amorphis, or Killswitch Engage from Kreator.

Still, I don't think it's appropriate to rate this any lower than I have. These guys are a completely wasted source of talent. It's not that they are bad musicians, it's that they took the easiest path to a record contract. And if easy money is what this band wants, then more power to them. If they want any longevity in a congested scene that is growing more crowded with each passing month, however, then they better be willing to man up to their claims of being real heavy metal. In the meantime, if you must listen to metalcore, check out the excellent 2007 releases form Achilles and Darkest Hour.