Dope : " Blood Money Part Zer0"

Been a minute since I have listened to these guys. It opens with the industrial metal going in a harder more Slipknot direction. Not the most original moment, but effective. There is a more melodic touch to "Believe" which marries alternative scene bands like Filter came from with more emo tinged Myspace metal. No experimentation just writing anthemic goth metal for the Hot Topic generation. "Best of Me" follows a similar formula , though the vocals are hookier , and the grooves of the song hold it together tighter. Edsel is a good songwriter so I am not surprised at how well the songs are put together. There is almost a Guns N Roses undertone beneath all at the black mesh and eyeliner here. "Choke" carries a Ministry like syncopation.

 I gotta give these guys credit for holding true to the style the bandwagon they jumped on when the band was started at riding it this far. "Dead World" takes you deep into the 90s as it could be a lost Stabbing Westward track. Not sure about the wrong turn taken on "Misery" that sounds like it should have been a Paramore song. Does the world really need another cover of the Cure's "Lovesong"? . Thinks improve on "Dive" which is a hookier take on their formula. "Parasite" has more of a nu-metal bounce to it. The vocal melody cuts through the crunch on the chorus, and he has certainly improved as a singer over the years,

"Row" waters this formula down , things that have worked on other songs do not feel as fresh here. The break down section works best, but is fleeting. "Fuck It Up" has a more metallic grit to the guitar, but the vocals seem like they are from a cartoon that was parodying nu-metal. "Wide" closes the album with the cartoon element from the previous song being dialed up. I will give this album an 8, it's better than expected , but relies on the tropes of yesteryear pretty heavilly.