Baptized in Blood

The god-awful cover art was an early indication of just how much Baptized in Blood was going to be a disappointment. But in all fairness (plus, it's unfair to judge a book by its cover), it was misguided Canadian patriotism that stopped the immediate disposal of the debut full-length from the London, ON-based band. The dismay that a group of technically proficient young men who have the fortune of having Megadeth's Dave Mustaine as a co-manager could produce such a bland, unimaginative album, including juvenile, but admittedly tongue-in-cheek lyrics like those in "Dirty's Back" (apparently a response to Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back"), was almost puzzling. With noticeable hints in their 2009 EP, Gutterbound, they're obviously a fan of raunchy L.A. glam metal/thrash, but they're also fans of cold, hard cash, as instead of creating something unique or even sticking with the musical formula found in their earlier work, tracks like "Down and Out" are simply low-grade melodic death metal. The band sound more concerned with getting on the radio than artistic integrity.