This is the 5 song EP follow-up to the full length release "...Something More Than Nothing" and what a worthy follow-up it is, Taproot continually amaze me with their song writing skills and the tightness of beats an grooves they assemble. The CD starts off with "Shine" the intro features some electronic grooves, Drums and a relaxing guitar part heavily doused with spacey effects (Courtesy of Mike. D, guitarist), But that doesn't last for long as the hard hitting distorted chorus riff kicks in almost knocking you back in your seat. One thing about the song, And about Taproot that I have come to love is that they don't fall to the basic mold of verse, chorus, verse something that is really evident in this song. As well Steve's (Vocals) cadence as he raps really add to the intensity of it, Also he even unleashes some screams which really add to the Intensity. Moving on to track 2 Mentobe, The track starts out innocently enough a bit of electronic static, some highhats and cymbal play but this all melts into a blistering guitar riff leading into Steve really coming across with aggression on this song, There's a nice hybrid of electronic drums to real live kit work in this song as well it really showcases Taproots ability to Coalesce mellow to heavy in the wink of an eye. Song 3 "Flatline" is an impressive song done with a plodding almost hypnotic guitar riffs that plunge into an ferocious breakdowns, This song also showcases Their ability to blend tight grinding parts with calm, restrained vocal melodies. Song's 4 and 5 are taken from their full length release "...Something More Than Nothing", They are "Comeback" and "Mirrors Reflection" respectively. Taproot continually get better and better as this release documents. Gone from this release is the overly downtuned tones as Taproot comes into their own. Another thing more apparent is the dark edge and feel in this record when compared to their last release. Taproot is definitely a must have band in your collection and one to expect to hear big things from in the future.
(4 / 5)