Alongside talent, dedication is what’s required to really get noticed and stand out from the crowd. This five-piece have it in spades. Primacy is Jason McIver on vocals, Will Bloodfarm on drums, Sadeer Kattan on bass, Adrian Brausch and Jared Tobin on guitars. They’ve all come from other outfits to make a strong, heavy rock jam together. There’s a bit of Tool, maybe some Deftones and no getting away from the Alice In Chains’ vibe, but these guys aren’t copyists – they’re just channelling the best with their quality originals. It’s melodic rock, with great power chords, atmosphere and a metal tinge. Shadeblack is particularly good with its beachy Pink Floyd intro and growly chorus. The recording, by Zorran Mendonsa at his West Auckland HQ, is primo. Mastering was done in Sweden by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Dragonforce) – these guys aren’t compromising on their material or its presentation. Lyrics are mostly by McIver (ex-Heathen Eyes) while the music credits go mainly to Brausch, but there’s ample evidence that the talent here is evenly distributed. • Ania Glowacz