POINT BLANK RAGE

It is not like death metal is intended to be the most inventive music the world's ever known, the progenitors and trailblazers of the genre notwithstanding, but there is something to be said about DM done with passion and conviction. In the case of "The Sound of Resistance" by Montreal's POINT BLANK RAGE, neither attribute is present. While not a stinker, the mix of old school style and new school treatment makes the disc a quintessentially mediocre affair.

The style played on "The Sound of Resistance" is rife with second-tier OBITUARY riffs and a lot of mid-paced tempos and chugging guitars. The vocals of Alexandre Leblanc (NEURAXIS, ATHERETIC) are of the throaty, mid-range growl variety, delivered in a near monotone and reminding at times of the approach taken by metallic hardcore vocalists. The eight tracks here are heavy on the groove and light on the dynamics, although the act does change tempos from time to time and adds a little flavor in the guitar work. The blend is most notable on "A New Pain", a track that begins with airy guitars and moves into blast beats, tempo changes, and a stop-start chorus that does indeed make one think in vague terms of the hardcore style. Mostly though, the songs are ones that cause a little head bobbing in time with the rhythm, but never leave you with a strong opinion one way or the other. The production is crisp and clean, almost too much so for the group's brand of death metal.

"The Sound of Resistance" is not a bad listen, just a rather listless one. Toughness is present all around and the band does get the blood pumping periodically. In the end though, the album comes off too blasé. More than tolerable, but barely worthy of repeat spins.