Honest Pod's name rings true as odd as it may sound, the bands music is close knit like a pod and does contain a considerable amount of honesty. Bass heavy grooves drive forward songs which can sound anywhere from Staind to The Groovenics. Sometimes there's funk while at other's there's soulful wailing, yet at all times it doesn't sound scattered or outlandish, instead its potency is quite concentrated and this is something that gives the band an edge. There's elements of influences as diverse as emo, rock, metal, alt-rock, rap, funk and a slew of others, and it mixed quite solidly. Vocally the CD features a talented performance, melodically there's some distinct ties with Staind's Aaron Lewis but this is only one path that the vocals can escape through the speakers. There's bellowing death metal growls, playful rap and a few other techniques that are tossed in and keep things on a constantly shifting voyage. A lot of emotion is exuded through the vocals whether it be through excited raps, tortured screams or crooned lyrical content and overall the range displayed is quite impressive. Guitars seem to fit with a modest tuning and a crisply warm distortion that smears itself over the spiky riffs that experiment with earthly tones and solid riffs. There's a few times when fretboard exploration comes into play with tripped out plucking, yet it goes nowhere near the more common approach of a Rage Against The Machine sound, instead it stays very grounded. Inspiration as a whole seems to draw a lot from a hybrid of grunge meets nu metal and the intelligence shown and ability to not go overboard with flashy elements gives the band a natural appeal. Bass is downtuned a bit and rumbles throughout the bottom, constantly shoving the songs onward and laying down loose heavy grooves that seem to end up in a neck and neck race with the guitar. At most times the deeper notes plod out enjoyable scale progressions that mimic the guitar, and yet contrast enough from the brisk sound of it to stick out enough to be noticeable. There's quite a few enjoyable basslines laid down here and even some slap and pop, but the restrained nature in place as a whole shows seasoned maturity. Drums can feel a bit thin at times but still manage to thrash out some well placed beats with their dull snare sound and consistently visible cymbal work. A lot of snare variation is exercised and rather than barreling out tom rolls, cymbal work is usually favored in its place, and although this provides for some fast paced beats, it can feel a bit hollow. The bands music is fairly diverse and has depth to it, they manage to cram a lot of influences and techniques in the albums 9 songs sounding like rougher versions of groups like Staind, A Perfect Circle and The Groovenics. There's a great deal of talent shown in the music and an undeniable charm to it, yet the bands real power lies in their more melodic ventures in which they sound like a laid back version of heavy emo. Still this is also something that can detract from the release, there's a lot of playfulness at times and it can feel like they are still testing the waters on just exactly where they are wanting to head as some songs are hits and others are misses, with a bit of tightening up and a more acute focus the band could easily become a big contender. Honest Pod document on this release that they can challenge a variety of genre's and meld them together as separate packages, with melodically heavy rhythms and playfully catchy alt rock styled songs being mixed in with conservative rapcore, but a touch more continuity and seriousness could fortify their music into something that would easily blow away anything put down on this release.
(3.5 / 5)