13 Lashes

Maybe it wasn't the greatest idea for London, ON's 13 Lashes to include their lyrics in the CD liner notes for their debut. The band have considerable musical talent; "We Stand Tall" demonstrates they have done their research, deftly modernizing classic thrash and NWOBHM, à la 3 Inches of Blood, while having the gravitas to add their unique style. But it's pretty obvious the same care wasn't put into the lyrical content. "Its like sitting in a room full of people, when everyone is peaking with everybody but me, can I think to myself for one fuckin' second please?" WTF? Musically, tracks like "Self-Reflections" and "Stolen Identity" are hands-down excellent from a musical perspective, but are marred by a shoddy lyrical delivery and lack of emotional connection to the music.