While their independent offering "Broken In Pieces..." managed to earn Stutterfly a strong underground following, it also seems to have led the band on a rather rocky road. "And We Are Bled Of Color", their major label debut, has more or less been sitting on the backburner for nearly a year; and only now are this BC based act finally able to break out of a label induced state of suspended animation and get their music out to the people.

A modest collection of pronounced melodic vocals and jagged edged riffing, the band often base their songs around their strong vocal performances which see gritty screams paired against charming larger than life verses and choruses. A rich sonic melange of distorted riffs and lush harmonies convulse underneath as a stern drumming performance lays down the ground rules.

While much of their intentions may fit snugly alongside that of bands like The Used, their approach and grandiose take is actually much more akin to that of melodic rockers like finger eleven. In turn, the bands material is catchy and epic sounding - a quality which should give it a broad appeal to various audiences. However, some material from the groups previous outing makes a round trip here, albeit in a heavily re-worked format, and perhaps it best shows what is the eventual downfall of this release.

In the past the bands material had a rather rigid implementation to it, an upfront sense of honesty that vividly showed their hunger. The only problem with it was that it lacked a defined sense of structure and could often get hung up on itself. On "And We Are Bled Of Color", the band have instead overcompensated, causing the songs to sound over-produced and heavily labored, with too much layering and distracting structural ups and downs present. Soon enough the tracks sound more like sterile orchestrated performances than stirring heart wrenched expressions.

The temptation to get carried away in the studio with second guessing your vision is always strong, and unfortunately, Stutterfly have fallen victim to it and sacrificed the initial spark of their songs in the process. Even so, "And We Are Bled Of Color" does have a rather vibrant aesthetic coursing through its veins. It's just sad that the same can't be said about the palpable sense of emotion that used to be their most engaging strength.