Reviewed by Greg Sammons

TFK are not exactly unfamiliar yet this album is their first outing with Tooth & Nail, their second in total after their debut success. Hailing from Canada, this band have been on a flurry of successful tours of late and show no sign of relenting. The production on this project is a step up from their last one and the music goes up a gear too. Bringing in the talents of producer-supremo Aaron Sprinkle, you can see the benefit of this band moving into the T&N fold. TFK have moved somewhat from the rap-rock sound of 'Set It Off' to a more punk-like sound, to the extent that some songs sound suspiciously like Trevor McNevan's side project, FM Static. But in general the album does have a harder edge. Songs such as "Phenomenon", "Rawkfist" and "Bounce" seem the obvious choice for radio play. "Phenomenon" has had a successful run on the Rock And Hard Place on Cross Rhythms radio in this country whilst Stateside "Rawkfist" has climbed high in the rock charts. But for me the best track on the album is "New Design". With a fantastic skeletal intro, using a simple beat and crisp vocals, the song soon launches into life keeping its jumpy beat but layered with passion and guts. The lyrics may not tell us anything particularly new, but are still worth saying. Whilst both the genres of rap/rock and nu-metal are in decline whilst emo continues its rise, you get the feeling that TFK will be able to evolve.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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