If the likes of Filter, Alice In Chains and Sevendust were ever to be stitched together into some Frankenstin like hard rock monster, the music contained on "Elephantine" is arguably the sound that the creature would create. An angsty blend of grunge reminiscent vocal melodies, faint electronic ambiance and stampeding modern metal riffery, Sand are an accomplished quartet with a lot going for them, other than the fact they are from Utah of course.

With a haunting vocal performance that shows traces of traditional teaching through its encompassing range and Layne Staley like hums and wails, the music becomes insightful and at times even melancholic, though it avoids dipping too far into melodic territory by medicating itself with a reasonable dosage of acidic snarls and screams. The bulk of the guitar work featured on the effort is crunchy and plays by a slightly less condensed rule book of modern metal tactics, at times resembling the consistent choppy lunges of groups like Sevendust, while at others delving headfirst into atmospheric clean toned acoustic strumming to paint some intelligent and colorful sound scapes. A robust low end performance lays down some humble bass lines that are usually simple in nature yet inherently supportive in intention, while a loosely assembled, yet piercingly sharp drumming performance brings up the rear; Occasionally switching up the pace by letting electronically programmed percussion and digital ambiance take the reigns and construct a richer auditory environment.

A heavy grunge undercurrent keeps a strong presence throughout the offerings 8 tracks and though the style is definitely one of the most notable influences that sculpts the bands sound, it should also be said that they are by no means a nostalgic sounding band. Rather than attempt to blatantly recreate the sound of the early 90's Seattle, WA heyday, they have instead taken such influences and bridged them with a modern metal sound that gives the genre somewhat of a new lease on life. As such their songs are easy to get into as they bring to mind traces of the glory bands of days past and with it all being updated accordingly to modern standards, they just might have a leg up on their cookie cutter competition clogging up major label rosters these days. Admittedly the band do have their flaws though as a handful of the songs included on this record are prone to falling flat on their face, such as the laughably Megadeth sounding verses in "Medication" along with a few other less than memorable moments. Still such follies aside, when the band do hit their stride their talent definitely shines through and provides for some impressive material, suggesting that there are still lines drawn in the "sand" they have yet to cross when it comes to just how far their music will take them.