The Sound of Regret
Amity Lane features two former members from Trust Company, vocalist Kevin Palmer and bassist Josh Moates. You may remember them from their minor hit “Downfall”.
The Sound of Regret is basically a nu-metal/hard rock album and there is really nothing thrilling about this release at all. The drummer sounds asleep and the electronic flourishes that are peppered throughout do nothing to liven up affairs. Take just about any of the songs: “Drown You Out”, “Shutting Eyes”, “Die For You”, “Million Miles Away”, etc. They all employ the same formula where the verses go by with minimal guitars, and Kevin’s whispered sandpaper-like vocals, and the same fuckin’ drumbeat and the chorus is supposed to be where it all EXPLODES, but it only winds up sounding like the verses, only with crash cymbals and some power chords.
“Running Away” has a faster beat and then there they go again with the same chorus I heard in the first four songs. The bass finally shows up in “Edge of Your Heart”. Nothing more to say there, just an observation to break up the monotony. “The Avenue” is a piano ballad, and maybe it could’ve been well-executed if the melodies were good or if the notes could actually be carried. “Say Goodnight” closes on an up-tempo note; it’s alright, but really, the damage has already been done. Amity Lane plays like it’s 2000 and Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park are still topping the charts (when people were still buying CDs), but that party is long over. Just bury nu-metal’s body already, it’s starting to stink.
