Alternative rock isn't exactly blowing the doors off rock radio these days, so I was more than a little surprised when opening up the metaphor +2 EP from Central New Jersey's in.spite.of and seeing the big Sanctuary Management logo on the jewel case. Apparently, someone believes in these guys enough to throw some money at them. They have opened a whole slew of national acts including GODSMACK, INCUBUS, and SYSTEM OF A DOWN. With that said, I'm not going to beat off all over this thing. It's definitely a noble first shot out of the cannon. Out of the five tracks on this disc, I think "Shine Down on Me" and "Reflection" have the most potential. Even if that's not the song people are requesting, I never agree with single choices - at least not FIRST single choices. The chorus on "Shine Down on Me" falls a little short, but "Reflection" is nice and angry. I think overall, they need work on their hook writing. We need to be humming the songs after the chorus hits, and I'm only doing that with "Reflection". I'd say the songwriting is 80% of the way there.
Sal Villanueva, whose credits include THURSDAY and TAKING BACK SUNDAY, produced these tracks, and brought out each member's strength to result in a first offering that will catch the ear of a major label. I hear a little RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS in the vocals, which is to say that the singer sounds a little like Anthony Kiedis.
The potential for greatness exists with the members of in.spite.of. I just hope they can navigate the music business effectively to reach that potential.
