Reviewed by Paul S Ganney

Starting with huge overtones of the classic track "Inside" by Stiltskin, this CD has energy and loads to spare. The Dallas-based veterans know how to do light and shade, lifts in choruses and so on, stripping back verses and piling in to keep raising the feeling of extra volume (even though you know digital stuff has a non-theoretical ceiling). All in all, "We Are The Broken" compares well with other 21st century rock albums but though it's very, very good, it's hardly groundbreaking. The title track is a great case in point: a clear guitar figure/hook with strong vocals, a band who pile in to raise the roof (and the moshing in the living room) and then suddenly stops, just leaving you wanting more. Lyrically they address the hurting and lost (see "All She Wants" for a good example), reflecting well their frontman's own path from a cocaine-fuelled suicide attempt to salvation in the back of an ambulance. One of the best CDs I've reviewed for a while; I just stuck it back on again when it finished.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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