Waterdown

“All Riot” (Victory)

Compare to: Somehow Hollow, Grade, Lost Prophets

REVIEW: 2 / 5

In short: Sure, these Germans may talk the talk, but they walk like an unnecessary blend of hard rock and melodic punk. All hail the new kings of nu-metalcore.

For the first couple of minutes of Waterdown’s call to arms “All Riot,” things seem to be going pretty well. There are twin guitars paired with a pounding snare are matched by some dual-bass pounding, all topped off with some powerful vocal-chord abuse.

Then, before you can get some space cleared for a well-rehearsed mosh, everything goes straight to hell – or the radio.

In other words, the band launches into the over-produced, Three Days Grace-inspired chorus, a turn so bad that even if the remaining 10 tracks were a punk-rock epiphany, the album couldn’t merit any praise beyond mediocre.

The German sextet’s latest batch of nu-metal fused with melodic punk rock and tough-guy breakdown anthems finds the leftist Europeans blazing through the same riffs that have carried their last two albums with moderate success.

Although the band’s attempted nu-metal, punk and screamo blend is anything but urgent or compelling, the band’s heart and message seem to be sincere even if delivered through slick production and palatable harmonies.

– Dante Sacomani