California has consistently birthed many of today's top names in hard rock, and though there has been a lull in the past few years, it is still considered a Mecca for nu-metal and crossover. One of the newest faces to emerge from the West Coast region is Orkest, an artistic, bilingual quartet that wish to represent a lifestyle that is as visual as it is aural. They perform live with an interpretative dancer and musically fuse together creative hard rock with worldly influences. After a well-received demo that explored the realm of progressive hard rock, the band have returned, looking to paint their masterpiece on the lofty "Canvas".

It is clear that Orkest look at music as both art and entertainment equally, and while they wish to pursue goals that are aligned closely with the former, their debut album is more attuned with the latter. The artistic indulgences of their "Concepts Of 2001" demo are less obvious this time around, and while Rolando Mora's expansive vocal range is impressive, the music offered is fairly predictable hard rock. The group succeed admirably with "Eminent", an epic that never drags its heels and consistently pushes forward with infectious hooks and residual energy. Kevin Jordan's capable percussive dexterity does offer a few noteworthy moments, and the group are clearly accomplished at carrying lengthy cuts, but the innovative momentum of past work has been tucked away for a more streamlined approach. That is not to say that the band's affinity for drawn-out melodicism has been swept away, as the majority of the album is built around such cuts, but while they do experiment with various elements the album ultimately suffers from a sense of predictability. The scratchy guitar opening of "#" could have been plucked straight from a Korn album, and the crunchy stomp the song abuses simply feels outdated, as does much of the album. With that said, "Disregard" does close the effort on a high note, proving to be one of the band's strongest songs to date with Mora's commanding vocal performance and a savage drive amplified by the down-tuned crush of guitarist Eric Gonzales.

The dalliances with rhythmic textures and an understated Latin influence enhance "Canvas" overall, yet with the recent insurgence of bands like Ill Nino and 40 Below Summer- both of whom share similar roots, Orkest may unfortunately be overlooked as followers rather than pioneers of a fresh style. This may not be the case, but the Flaw-meets-Puya design captured here rarely feels original. This may be due to the band's insistence on performing typical nu-metal when they clearly have the ability and motivation to create more atmospheric material. Stuck in this quagmire of atonal muck, Mora's undeniable talent is weakened considerably when attempting a heavier tone, and his processed screams leave little impact. In spite of these downfalls, Orkest do present a style that is moderately interesting, as even the most mundane offering on this album (the expletive-reliant fluff of "Luck") is at least somewhat intriguing musically. Orkest wish to be true artists of the musical form, and though they possess the skill and patience necessary, this 'canvas' has unfortunately been splattered with too much watered down paint.