By cody daniels/reporter
A veteran Canadian rock band with a new vocalist is making waves on the college charts across Canada and now in the United States with its freshly released album Left Behind.
The band is Breached, which featured in the top 10 on the Canadian College Loud Charts since the album’s release Oct. 22.
Metal drags on with chains of alternative soft rock on its heels that doesn’t let up through the entire listen.
With influences of progressive, alternative and pop, the band seems to take some of its major influences from bands like Seether, Hinder or R.E.O. Speedwagon. It leaves one with a realization of complete unoriginality and disgust for the pop pandemic that rock is becoming thanks to cookie-cutter bands.
The album’s production seems to be done at a top-notch level, and all five parts of the music really seem to be brought to the ears by a good studio mix. When listened to with headphones, it isn’t hard to pick out what each instrument is doing.
However, what is the point?
The vocalist’s relentless screams are just faint enough to make listeners think he’s insecure for not deciding whether they should be in the mix behind the singing.
His singing voice isn’t bad, but it’s just another typical element of the band, and it sounds like the 200 other bands that sound as if they ripped out the voicebox of Creed’s Scott Stapp.
The band’s rhythm section, however, is the worst. The pieces never seem to be in sync with each other.
Their relationship is similar to a baseball team’s pitcher and catcher working together to win a game. If this EP is a game, the rhythm section would lose.
The drummer seems to work the same beat the entire album, leaving an unsatisfied feeling.
Overall, one can see why fans would listen to the album. Generally, the band knows how to perform and go through the motions, but the rhythm section provides a repetitive effect that might make a listener think he heard this already four songs ago.
Music is about experimentation AND song structure not just structure. This album doesn’t seem to explore anything.
