Reviewed by Andrew Segal

As Cities Burn hail from Louisiana. With the guitar amplifiers turned up very high and the drumming going very fast as singer TJ Bonnette screams his way through 10 tracks that all seem to prefer sticking to sadder, minor keys in their musical scales (titles such "Incomplete Is A Leech" and "Of Want And Misery: The Love That Kills" are more than just hints about this). With their fusion of hardcore, metal and punk the band do show a consistent intensity as they rip through the album, not being afraid of things such as a little guitar feedback getting in the way. But, unfortunately, the tracks do start to blur into each other before too long. There is some respite from the extremely prevailing dark moods. "The Widow" moves to a quieter area, offering occasional musical reminders of bands such as Wheezer or The Eels. But this is not a CD that is likely to appeal to outside the very heavy rock crowd. But for those moshpit devotees who like their rock extreme this could do the trick.

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