"The Truth"

Bleeding Through

Trustkill Record

B+

"I don't give a ****," screams Brandan Schieppati at the onset of "For Love and Failing," the first track on Bleeding Through's new album, "The Truth." With five words, the tone is set -- somewhat bluntly, some might point out, and they wouldn't be wrong. But with the grisly cover art and furious guitars and drums that dominate the album, subtlety is thrown out the window.

"The Truth" isn't exactly the full-on maelstrom of death metal-meets-hardcore that Bleeding Through's earlier albums were. The melodic passages are more frequent this time around, and executed with more confidence than in the past. The best example is the surprisingly catchy "Kill to Believe," the album's first single.

This increased contrast between melody and fury may be off-putting to the band's current fans, especially when they hear the frustratingly atonal "Dearly Demented" (there's a title only a fifteen-year-old could love), featuring nauseating vocals from Tiger Army's Nick 13. Schieppati's scream seems to have undergone a change as well, sounding more controlled and possessing more character than the straight bellow he delivered on the band's previous work.

Lyrically, Schieppati is still covering most of the same ground, railing against those who done him wrong and the pain this world has caused him. Thankfully, said pain is blamed a little less on females in general this time, as the lyrics had approached a somewhat scary level of misogyny on the band's previous records.

"The Truth" will be tough for fans to embrace, but after a few listens the record opens up, takes a firm grasp of what it wants to achieve and proves itself to be the most consistent in the band's catalog.

--Christopher Steffen/The Daily

"First Impressions of Earth"

The Strokes

RCA

A-

The Strokes' third album, "First Impressions of Earth," made its way into stores only five days after New Year's. It's rare for a band to release an album at this time of year, as many consumers are likely cost-cutting after the holidays.

The band found acclaim with its 2001 debut, Is This It. Its second album, "Room On Fire," was roundly criticized as bland. Fortunately, "First Impressions of Earth" delivers new dynamics not heard in The Strokes' first two albums, but stays true to their highly recognizable sound.

Frontman Julian Casablancas uses his voice as a chamber of sound effects in "You Only Live Once." The technique doesn't overwhelm the sound and creates sexiness in his voice.

The first single, "Juicebox," has the feel of running from the bad guys in an action movie. It sounds a little different from the band's original sound but without completely withdrawing from it.

On the other hand, "Heart In a Cage" recalls the band's second, less-engaging album, with no dynamics in voice or music, and leaves the listener bored and wondering if the next track is just as bland. However, just when one is ready to feel disappointed, the sense of relief overwhelms the heart of those who loved The Strokes from the beginning. "Razorblade" and "Vision of Division" let the light shine on underrated guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr.

--Lacey Lett/The Daily

"Underworld Evolution"

Various Artists

Lakeshore Records

D-

The soundtrack to "Underworld Evolution" is frustratingly uninteresting. Apart from a few exceptions, it is just a laundry list of up-and-comers, wannabes and never-have-beens.

Sprinkled throughout the album are a few tracks that stand out as something special. "Puscifer," featuring Tool's Maynard James Keenan, gives the album a boost. The song's choppy bits of industrial noise and loops and original guitar lines compliment Keenan's vocal stylings well.

Unfortunately, bands like My Chemical Romance, Alkaline Trio, and Slipknot taint the album with songs that could possibly intrigue the 14-year-olds that still buy their albums.

-Joshua Michael Torres/ The Daily
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