DOWN THE DRAIN

This strange and mutated beast of a band is what MALEVOLENT CREATION vocalist Brett Hoffman was working on during one of his numerous estrangements with that band. Given his on-again, off-again relationship with MALEVOLENT mainman Phil Fasciana, it's probably not a bad idea to keep this project going even though he's back in the fold – after all, is anyone besides Phil more than one drunken argument away from getting his walking papers in that group?

DOWN THE DRAIN features Hoffman's hoarse, panicked bark of a vocal, so you know the band's gonna at least be some kind of metal. But it'd be a mistake to call them textbook DM — these guys obviously like a lot of different stuff, and they haphazardly stick parts together to create songs with elements of punk, hardcore, thrash and even more commercial groove metal and hard rock all fighting for attention. Check out the hooky riff in "Over Mastered Desire", where Hoffman repeatedly bellows "crazed… crazed… crazed" over a riff resurrected from the early 1990s grunge-metal cutout bin. Or how about "That Which Will Not Die", where blast beats meet a meaty, shambling DOWN cough-syrup-boogie riff? And what of the thrashy chorus and weird STATIC X verse of the song "Down the Drain"?

When they stick with an idea for a while, like on the slow and menacing "Deceived", this eclectic approach works well — Hoffman agonizes over a lurching, doomy backdrop for over three minutes, spitting out each word with murderous venom, and then the song kicks into higher gear. Too often, though, parts seem strewn around the songs randomly, tempos shift and buckle before a part has a chance to make itself heard, and the overall effect is lessened, giving the group a kind of low-buck, local-band-sounding lack of cohesion.

Since to most people, fairly or not, this group might as well be called BRETT HOFFMAN AND SOME GUYS IN SWEATPANTS, it should be noted that Hoffman sounds good here. His raspy and maniacal death vocals are loud, up front, and sound as throat-bleedingly painful as ever, and he adds a bit more emphasis and enunciation in some parts to create dynamics without resorting to clean vocals or compromising his signature style. Those looking for a more MALEVOLENT-styled attack might be disappointed at the groove and doom parts, and overall lack of focus (something MALEVOLENT CREATION rarely suffer),but others may find the band's more diverse influences enjoyable.

"Dying Inside" is one of those records it's hard to get super excited about, although it can't be denied that DOWN THE DRAIN have a lot of potential. Given time to let their songwriting mature, this band could be on to something – ironically, they may need someone a little more versatile on the microphone than their main attraction if they want to fully explore their scattershot blend of sounds. Hoffman is awesome at what he does when he's on his game, it's just that DOWN THE DRAIN seems more interested in exploring different musical areas than the Floridian speed/death tsunami he helps create in his main band.

The verdict: a solid 6, a lot of decent parts that don't add up to a satisfying whole often enough. A band to watch, and one to commend for their ambition, even if it currently overshadows their writing craft.