Teeming with a hardcore punk meets
Limp Bizkit-like nu-metal, songs like "My World" have enough melody from the rhythm section to make them work, but just barely. A better and beefier bridge atones for this miscue though. Lead singer Jorge Rosado rarely sings, opting for a blood-curdling wail in the vein of
Slipknot more often than not. "Warrior Soul" is another above average tune that is brimming with thick riffs and aggressive vocals. Think
Nickelback with more than a couple of axes to grind, and you have some idea of the band. Thankfully the punk edge comes to the fore a tad on "Insomnia," recalling a peeved
Rancid circa
Life Won't Wait early on. When the quartet indulges itself on the harder-sounding tracks such as "Obstacles," they seem to hit their niche, a guitar radio-friendly hook
Linkin Park or
P.O.D. would salivate over. The Christian-oriented lyrics also lend comparisons to the latter. The only true clunker is a routine run through the ramshackle "Visions of You," a song that comes off too forced. Nonetheless,
Rag Men right the musical ship with the lengthy and winding "Possession" and a punchy hardcore effort on "Tierra," which drummer Ross Rigg shines on. The song also flows nicely into the closing "No Questions." The album has little that hasn't been done before, but
Rag Men are able to carry the album well. ~ Jason MacNeil