Hundredth

There's a slight hesitation at the start of "Ruin," the first song on Hundredth's Revolt EP. After the sound of a guitar being plugged in, and a seemingly unfinished vocal line, the song explodes. Unfortunately, hesitation is the name of the game when it comes to this SoCal melodic metalcore band. While the stylistic start-stop is effective in "Ruin," the overall feeling of reluctance to jump in with both feet is quite the opposite. Hundredth have built a career upon dipping one toe in the aggression of heavy music, while the other piggies are placed firmly in melodic waters. This in itself isn't necessarily bad. However, the music lacks energy much of the time, which makes the promise found in "Ruin" and "Free Mind/Open Spirit" that much more frustrating, with the record fading into standard fare for the rest of it. It's not that Hundredth are bad; they just do little to stick out, except when channelling Counterparts' intensity.