Discipline Through Sound 25

If ever there was an album where you had to look at the lyric sheet to understand the vocalist, it's this one. Every word out of lead singer Akins' mouth is indecipherable. When you listen to him, you feel hoarse because you realize that if you placed a block of cheese in front of your speakers, his voice would have shredded it to pieces by the time the last notes rang out of your stereo. As for the music itself, it's a maelstrom of chaos that leaves you with a sonic bruise and a slight feeling of motion sickness. Drummer Brian Wnukowski and bassist Mike Chartrand are extremely tight, as displayed by the ongoing time signature shifts -- a perfect example being the gut-wrenching drama of "Dying Breed" with its 4/4, 6/8, and 3/4 time. As for Todd Johnson's guitar work, it plays more of an accent role. Songs like "Moonshine," "Bird of Prey," and "Lucky 57" contain feedback squalls, slight harmonics, and big ringing chords. Overall, Discipline Through Sound is a very repetitive album with an abrasive tone suited to fans of loud, no-frills rock & roll. ~ Stephen Howell