Having released two rampantly successful EP's which offered up a unique sound in contrast to the widespread new metal and rapcore posturing that had overrun the scene back in '99, Five Pointe O have now made the step to a larger label in the shape of Roadrunner/Island/Def Jam, and along with it comes, "Untitled", their full-length debut.With a producer (Colin Richardson) and an actual recording budget on deck this time around, the progression that's occurred in the years that have passed since their last offering is instantly noticeable. Loose ends have been tied up and their songs are now packaged in a more digestible fashion, though they still retain a good portion of the ferocious electronic aided metal which the band unleashed in the past.

Vocally the album is littered with unflinching throaty screams, frenzied spoken word passages and aggressive melodies as band frontman Daniel Struble lays his soul on the line, allowing guitarist Eric Wood to back him up with bone crushing growls and barks. Meanwhile, chunky modern metal based guitar riffs comprise the bulk of the bands sonic assault, complete with a few moments of death and grind riffery thrown in for good measure, ensuring the music remains both vicious and open ended. The bass playing is a bit more grounded however, anchoring the guitar work with a steady push and solid progressions, establishing an impressively firm base that fittingly compliments the dense and assertive drumming performance laid down. Punctuated by a heavy hitting playing style that bashes out with dulled snare hits, battering rolls, stomping double kick barrages and crisp cymbal work, band drummer Tony Starcevich proves his contributions to be an integral part of the band. However, another equally important piece of the puzzle that is Five Pointe O takes shape in the constant atmospheric flourishes and electronic undercurrents that saturate the tracks, all courtesy of band keyboardist Casey Mejia. Through thundering bass drops and ethereal moans, he manages to successfully add an extra dimension and deeply layer the bands sound, greatly helping to separate them from the pack.

From epic dirges to in your face vehemence, "Untitled" runs the gamut of sound and emotion. The band are boldly experimental and meld together many genres, but they accomplish it without falling victim to the common errors of the many who have tried to mix things up before them. Rather than wind up a tangled mess, their music instead sounds intelligent and highly progressive, rife with song structures that don't adhere to typical commercial formats, causing them to almost demand a higher caliber of attention from the listener. Definitely more mature than their earlier offerings, the tracks also now seem to intersect together more directly and transition through their contrasting part changes in a stronger, more premeditated fashion, allowing the buildups and breakdowns to become inherently powerful. Unfortunately though, such evolution hasn't come without a cost as the bands tendency to draw things out can make for some detrimental lulls in the momentum of the album as a whole. Undoubtedly they have successfully smoothed things out for the most part, but they have also sacrificed a considerable portion of the disjointed edge which made much of their older material so surprising and invigorating. This is not to say that this album is a boring or bloated venture by any means, but it is decidedly one that may disappoint some of the bands longtime diehard fans. In truth, it requires more than a few listens to fully appreciate and with that being the case, it may not break through to the mainstream, but will surely establish them a sizable fan base in the underground amongst though who are looking for something different than the majority of what's currently out there at the moment.