ONE MAN ARMY AND THE UNDEAD QUARTET

Coming off the respect that THE CROWN earned during their existence, vocalist Johan Lindstrand is pretty much guaranteed some attention for his new band. He could also be pretty sure of a decent contract and a good budget, which the band put to good use — "21st Century Killing Machine" is a great sounding record, with forceful, punchy drums and a phlegmatic, dramatic performance from Lindstrand himself.

But it seems that the band, perhaps in some effort to distance itself from THE CROWN, decided to stick almost exclusively with a plodding midtempo throughout. The guitars sound great, but the riffs they're cranking out are pretty much pure filler, midpaced chugga-chugga that comes across as bland and unfulfilling. It's left to Lindstrand to inject personality into the music, and he gamely tries — it's not like he doesn't have attitude to spare. But there's only so much he can do, and eventually, things start getting a little dreary.

Sure, there are occasional moments that pique interest. The chorus of "Devil On the Red Carpet" isn't great, but it is a breath of fresh air after the ham-fisted cliché of the verse riff. And if you can get past the METALLICA "homage" of "So Grim, So True, So Real", there's some solid thrash in this song, making you wonder if someone finally quit hitting the snooze button and decided to rock out. Songs like "Behind the Church", though, are just bad HAUNTED knockoffs, uninspired and unexciting. And the long, slow horsepill "Branded By Iron" is enough to make the most forgiving fan chuck the CD out the nearest open window.

It's the moments that do crush (and there are a few) that make "21st Century Killing Machine" frustrating. When it's good, it's really good, but it's such a patchy album, with so many dull spots, it's really hard to recommend.