Life is too short for this manufactured plastic shiiiiiiiiit.

Sloan Action Pact appeared in my album collection at some point quite some time ago during my college years. Not sure how it got there...maybe I inadvertently lifted it from one of my roommates, maybe it just appeared, who knows? Anyway, I threw it on the other day while digitizing my CD collection and, holy shit, this album is pretty good! First six songs are all bangers. Second half comes off a bit weaker than the first. Hollow Head sounds a bit like a derivative of Weezer's early albums. ... read more

Holy shit! Came outta left field to claim hip hop AOTY. Such a sick album.

Solid EP. Doesn't stray from the long-established Nonpoint sound. My album highlights are Golden Gloves and A Million Watts, both fun songs with an interesting take on the nu metal sound. Nonpoint has long stood above other contemporaries in nu metal in creativity and this album definitely follows suit.

Already heard this at my son's third grade recorder concert.

This album has a ton of ear candy. Really accessible on first spin. I'm not entirely sure this album will have staying power though, albums like this tend to wear out pretty quickly. Still, highly positive first impression. Only major knock is the poppy snaps that are sprinkled throughout the album. I wish artists would knock that shit off, it's tired and sounds terrible.

Not my scene. Normally I would err on not rating, just because this is so far out of my wheelhouse, but I don't see the appeal here at all. Weak lyrics, egregious use of autotune, terrible beats...I didn't hear anything redeeming about this shitty album at all.

Almost perfectly average. One tick below 50 just for the drop in quality between the last album and this one.

Where to start...the vocals? Sounds like Geddy Lee with the flu. Instrumentals? OK, mostly nondescript, some decent blues soloing here and there, but mostly not threatening anything novel. Production...I don't know, seems a bit muddy, like they are trying to add age with the mix. The total package - why bother when there are so many Rush and Led Zepplin albums that sound so much better, constantly push boundaries and sound so much more pleasant in nearly all aspects. To all the fans, you can ... read more

The Dark Side of the Moon is the perfect album. Why anyone would think that they could improve, or even update perfection is beyond me. Hard pass on this one.

I listened to this album once, thought it was good enough to rate an 80, then completely forgot about it. Was looking at my ratings for 2023 and thought WTF is this album? Listened to it again. Still liked it but I can see what other reviewers say about it being forgettable. Seems like this would be good for a session at the gym, if nothing else because it is groovy, but sort of blends into the background at the same time. Upon this further review, gotta probably drop this one to 65...above ... read more

Vocals sound so whiny and weak...really cuts down the vibe this band is trying to convey. Yah dude, your parents took your Xbox away. We get it.

Music is decent though, should just release the instrumentals.

This album could be one of my AOTY contenders but for one fatal flaw...the mix is so flat that even with good headphones it's difficult to discern individual parts without jamming up the volume so much my ears ring like a concert after listening to the whole album. A remaster would be awesome and I bet this album would shine so much more with a little more of a dynamic approach to the mix.

I feel like this is what AI would create when asked to make a pop punk album. It's soooo freaking soulless.

This album is an odyssey perfect for listening with headphones on a cloudy, dreary day. I'm not digging the vocals, in many places seems way out of place with the emotion conveyed by the music. Perhaps it is a mixing issue where the vocals are just too front and center for this type of metal.

The Struts are fast becoming a type of band that I pick and choose songs to make a playlist, but never really listen to a whole album front to back. Each album has definite strong points, but none have been cohesive enough to consider it to be a "great album." This trend continues here. I like some of the new sounds on it, and happy they are exploring new sounds. Pretty Vicious is a hit for me, I like the Billy Idol, White Wedding sound. Other highlights are Hands on Me, Bad Decisions ... read more

It's OK, reminds me of a discount store Ghost. Not bad by any means but the sort of album that just makes me wish I was listening to the better versions of this type of sound.

I oscillated between hating and loving this album. Female vocals and the production are spectacular. The harsh and clean male vocals are where things fall off for me. The male vocals (Fred Durst included) spark memories of the absolute worst of the late 90s nu metal scene. I like the overall hectic atmosphere for the album but overall just doesn't break into the top tier of new nu metal (nunu metal?) scene.

Favorite song: Ride the Thunder, Feral
Cut it: Bang Ya Head - no reason for Fred Durst ... read more

Put it on in for my 20 minute commute. Didn't leave the parking lot until the album was finished. Definitely AOTY material.

I really like the clean vocals and the music for the most part is...inoffensive? Not remarkable but nothing abrasive either. There's some promise with this band, but the major weakness here are the harsh vocals, which weaken an otherwise solid offering. I find the harsh vocals to be shoe-horned in, almost like the band doesn't know where or how to utilize the brutal aspects of harsh vocals, so just kind of writes each track in an ABAB type format, with no real fusion. I'll keep this band on the ... read more