Default's debut album,
The Fallout, sounds like a souvenir of the mid-'90s. Much like the second-generation grunge bands of that era --
Silverchair,
Seven Mary Three, and
Bush, to name a few -- this Canadian quartet sports a thick, buzzy guitar sound (courtesy of producer Rick Parashar of
Pearl Jam and
Alice in Chains fame) and a frontman whose mannered singing is equal parts
Eddie Vedder,
Maynard Keenan, and
Layne Staley. With any lingering whiffs of danger or subversiveness that may be associated with those mentors airbrushed out of the picture,
The Fallout provides a non-threatening option for those who seek the stylistic affectations of grunge rock, but wish to avoid all of the substance or excitement of its first generation.
Default plays competently and the music sounds fine, but they simply have little to offer in the way of originality, which can also be said of a band like
Creed, who nevertheless has millions of fans. ~ Andy Hinds