With a pedigree that sees two former members of Zao involved, GODS are a band who may drum up a lot of preconceived notions from the faith-based metal scene. However, with their full-length debut "I See You Through Glass", they are not about to be pigeonholed by any scene tag just yet, as their kinetic metal and brooding melodies are anything but conventional.

While at their core they are more of an experimental rock band than anything else, GODS seem to thrive on extruding their sound into a variety of different directions. There are some distinct similarities to Zao's self-titled days present in the scope of instrumentation, with snarling riffs and spirited electronics taking the lead. But there are also emphatic melodies and vocoded moments that suggest a more modern H.I.M. meets Deftones take as well.

Herein lies the problem though, as whether it be melodic rock, brash metalcore or humming electronics, the band all too often roll everything together into an unfocused mess that goes nowhere but downhill. There is merit in the bands ideas, but the sloppy execution and melting pot approach taken quickly stifle any momentum the songs can build up.

While the band are all fairly good at what they do, they are by no means individually great. In turn, without any particular strength honed, it all becomes a sloppy blur of songs that lack any direct impact or connection. Hopefully for their second effort they can clean up the glass they are currently looking through. Because in its curren state, it is far too dirty and distorted to even bother peering through - let alone listen to on repeated occasions.