American Me

Well, somebody had to fill the void left by Bury Your Dead's untimely swan dive into full-blown nu-metal. All mockery aside, American Me's new record expands upon the formula established with their debut: comically overblown breakdowns arranged into tightly written, but slightly one-dimensional songs. Sound familiar? While there are plenty of bands vying for one's attention in the genre, American Me stand out a fair bit due to a few factors: memorable tracks, sturdy production and above-average vocals. While the record doesn't aim to accomplish much more than a thorough bludgeoning, it achieves its intended goal with gusto, assaulting the listener for an all too brief 20 minutes or so before disintegrating into a well-placed ambient outro and a mildly amusing Auto-Tuned pop punk bonus track. Their sound ultimately comes across like a more extreme rendition of Bury Your Dead's older material, complete with none-too-subtle Slipknot homages and a polished, modern aesthetic. Those burned out on things like this won't be convinced, but that's not what the band are aiming for. This is strictly for the mosh warriors, in as positive a context as is possible to frame that statement.