Labrie is the vocalist from the band Dream Theater and has released two
previous solo efforts under the name MullMuzzer. I wasn’t exactly
sure what to expect, because I didn’t realize the history of the man,
but what started off as a nice acoustic guitar solo soon transitioned
into a hard rock/heavy metal record ala Metallica or Korn. In
fact, the sound reminds me a little of Queensryche, but a bit less
glam. Most every song uses heavy-handed electric guitar and the
music would be a perfect backdrop to a Vin Diesel action flick.
It isn’t all just hard, grinding guitars, and track three has some
interesting electronic sounds that permeate the background. Track
five, seven, and nine are the softer tunes. The first is a power
pop tune, seven is a cry for help lyrically and has a prominent piano
element to the song, while nine is most likely the hit song from this
record—it will be the most palatable for most listeners. The
topics of discussion range from relationships to religion, but the
album suffers, because the material doesn’t seem to be consistent
musically. Metal heads might like it enough despite the slower
material, but I can’t see anyone sitting through the hard rock for one
or two good slow tracks, and it is these tracks that stand out from the
rest of the material. Sound quality is okay, but unless you are
huge fan you may want to think twice. Songs included are:
Crucify; Alone; Freak; Invisible; Lost; Undecided; Smashed; Pretender;
Slightly Out of Reach; Oblivious; In Too Deep; Drained
-Brian Bloom
