This is my first time checking out this Canadian artist who, in some ways, reminds me of 311 if they did not smoke a ton of pot and jam, but were writing more tension yet detached sing-song pop songs driven by guitar. Technically, this descended from nu-netal, but is less aggressive in its raging against the machine. It is catchy, so that works for me. Marginally dystopian in its social commentary. He screams a little, but it's more of a light temper tantrum if you listen to a lot of hardcore. "Brainrot" has more bounce in its sing-song step."Self Immolation" is not as catchy as what they dished out on the first three songs, but it works pretty well.
You Made Me This Way" is not going to make you jump around like Rage Against the Machine, though it comes from a less militant, opinionated place. 'Little White Lies" is marginally more explosive, as he ponders many problems that have fewer solutions. The bass seems to come up in the mix to help thicken the grooves of "God is an Animal". They lose the fire in the groove on "Bells of War". There is a little darker mood to "Who's the Enemy," which features Bob Vylan, an artist who works better in collaborations than on his own less inspired tracks. Vylan only comes in for the last minute of this song. He is a more traditional rapper than the rapper for this project.
"Pull the Trigger" closes the album with a very syncopated riff. The hand claps are an unexpected touch, though the chorus really works well, and this might be the best lyrics of the album. There is almost a Detones touch to how the palm-muted riff dances around this, before dropping into a more hip-hop-minded beat. I will give this album a 9.5; it is a very well-done take on nu-metal that does not play off the standard tropes you expect from the genre. Perhaps it's the water in Canada that keeps it going sounding like Limp Bizkit.
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