All the fuss that is going to surround the sixth album by
Thousand Foot Krutch
will likely relate to the fact that the Canadian rap-rock outfit has decided to step away from
Tooth & Nail Records
for the first time in eight years. Because beyond that, nothing else has changed. You get the same turgid rock riffs cribbed from the
Tom Morello
/
Wes Borland
playbooks, sung/rapped refrains a la
Linkin Park
, and production that slaps as much glitter and gloss on these tracks as they can carry. All credit must be given to the band for an ability to craft earworm choruses that will rattle in listeners' heads for days afterwards (we're looking at you "Let the Sparks Fly"). Beyond that, the band is sticking firmly with a sound that fell out of favor at least a decade ago to the detriment of an obviously talented bunch of guys. ~ Robert Ham