For its Columbia debut,
In the Name of Progress,
Fingertight -- vocalist Scott Rose, guitarist Sergio Renoso, bassist Jesse Del Rio, and drummer Kirk Shelton -- worked with producers Tobias Miller and Bill Appleberry, who had previously helmed
Adema's debut. But while that group blindly follows in the nu-metal footsteps of
Korn,
Fingertight's take on the post-grunge sound is more confused. On one hand, the band channels Tool ("Speak in Tongues") and does a fair amount of head-banging on the seething "Surface." But it then shifts gears with the plaintive strumming and piano of "Things Have Changed," and even employs gooey "ooh ooh" backing vocals during another mellow moment. It's unclear how
Fingertight will sell this balladeering to the alt-metal audience Columbia seems to have groomed it for. After all, the band supported
Progress' debut with a slot on the Jagermeister Music Tour alongside muscular acts like
Saliva and
Stereomud. While fellow Californians
Incubus effectively produce trippy, non genre-specific suburban alt-rock,
Fingertight can't decide if it wants that vibe or wants to be part of
Korn et al.'s vinyl pants and tattooed fingers crowd, and this indecision becomes
In the Name of Progress' biggest fault. ~ Johnny Loftus