Maybe it’s because I just had to sit through the last Shai Hulud album, but…this sounds like the last Shai Hulud album I just listened to. These guys remind me of Strife. I like Strife. If I want to listen to them, though, I don’t need to buy Shai Hulud. The lyrics sound like a bad first-year writing student. These guys are talented musicians, but being good at playing your instrument isn’t the only criteria for playing good music.

(Revelation Records, PO Box 5232, Huntington Beach, CA 92615)