In the late 90's Ultraspank were pretty much the ugly duckling of the nu-metal explosion. Utlizing anthemic aggression, jagged metal undercurrents, and complexly layered electronics to express themselves, the band seemed more bent on musical progression than commercial success and a colorful image. This refusal to play corporate ball helped them to quickly build a dedicated fan base, but in the end, also led them to a near stillborn sophomore effort in the form of 2000's "Progress", an album which their then label showed little interest in promoting. These circumstances and more resulted in the band dissolving soon after its release and little has been heard from them since, that is of course, until now. Lo-Pro started out as the brainchild of former Ultraspank frontman/programmer Pete Murray and guitarist/programmer Neil Godfrey, both of whom quietly cranked out a number of demos for the project before finally deciding to try their hand in the record industry once again.

However, when the time came to take the project to the next level, the pair decided to be anything but low-profile. Signing on as the first act to Staind frontman Aaron Lewis' newly founded imprint label 413/Gefffen, the duo then enlisted mega-producer Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, TRUSTcompany) to helm the sessions for the record. Continuing this high-profile trend, they also went on to recruit former Godsmack drummer Tommy Stewart and ex-Snot/Amen bassist John "Tumor" Fahnestock to help fill out their line-up. As such, a band that could have emerged in relative obscurity has now hit the scene with a substantial amount of interest behind them and all eyes are on this debut release to see just exactly what they have to offer. In essence, Lo-Pro are a more mature continuation of where Ultraspank left off. Far more melodic and restrained, the group write traditional hard rock songs with the electronic aspects now seeming more like an afterthought, than an integral instrument. In fact, Lo-Pro could quite easily be mistaken as Staind's more eclectic younger brother; As their music has enough edge present to appeal to today's younger generation, yet still packs enough traditional elements and commercial flair to make it big at radio.

Not surprisingly then, the songs featured on this outing are surprisingly affable, and while they may have slightly heavier overtones than their closest peers, their base structuring is still quite easy going and leaves little to the imagination. The subtle programming included does help to establish a bit of identity, and there are occasional moments when the bottom-heavy grooves heed back to the Ultraspank days; But as a whole "Lo-Pro" ultimately feels like a darker blend of radio rock - without the paper thin lyrical content. This fact is summarily driven home by the similar sound of the songs and the fairly repetitive elements present that quickly entangle the listener while listening from start to finish. To the uninitiated/mainstream ear, Lo-Pro will surely be a breath of fresh air from the Nickelback's and Creed's of the world; But unfortunately, to longtime Ultraspank fans this album will likely feel a bit too glossy and by the books to really keep them happy for long.