Hot on the heels of their full length effort "Just A Matter Of Time", Canadian outfit Loco have returned with a new EP produced by Mike Plotnikoff (Fear Factory, Reveille) and with the benefit of a solid producer and more time spent together now under their belt, the material on display has definitely been bumped up a proverbial notch. Utilizing a high energy new metal crunch infused sound, the group can bring to mind the better moments of groups like Powerman 5000, Fear Factory, Coal Chamber and The Union Underground with a touch of perhaps Spineshank.

Much like a cross between Fear Factory's Burton C Bell and Coal Chamber's Dez Fafara, band frontman Art barks out his gritty parts with intensity, yet also manages to incorporate the occasional Powerman 5000 styled spoken word drawl and uplifting vocal melody into the fray. Meanwhile, guitar riffs thrash out with chunky distortion, attacking the listeners senses with a style that suggests a more conservatively tuned Coal Chamber mixed with the driving dynamic composition of Spineshank's latest work. In contrast, the bass playing uses a slightly lower tuning, yet accentuate the tracks with a fairly resilient tone, adding a treble charged rumble to the mix. Percussion is heavy on double kick and draws close comparisons to the playing of Fear Factory's Raymond Herrera, yet rather than use piercing technical ability, band drummer Anton's style is much more pugnacious and in your face.

Overall, "Breathe" exhibits a definite evolution from the bands last outing, ramping up a few older tracks from it, helping them become more realized, while also supplying a few new tunes to give a good suggestion as to where the group are headed. Their influences are definitely still visible, but they do sound a bit less blatant, allowing the songs to start to take a step away from the dreaded copycat branding, and help construct an identity of their own. Still, as a whole the band do tend to borrow a bit too heavily from other acts, a quality which can tend to work against them, even if the familiarity factor does make it easier for new listeners to pick up on them. Despite the cons though, Loco unquestionably possess talent and as they come into their own, will surely be more than able to make a legion of fans crazy about their music.