Composed of former members of Grade, Zyon and New Day Rising, The Black Maria have some fairly large expectations placed upon them by fans of their members previous outfits. With "Lead Us To Reason", the band are found looking forward however, taking a vague yet stylistically polished post-hardcore backbone and building it up with timid melodic flourishes that land somewhere between the likes of Billy Talent and Boysetsfire.

Catchy sing-along choruses, dynamic upbeat indie rock styled numbers and a wealth of instrumental shifts go into the bands craft as they tread the line between somber and uplifting territory. The progressive use of structuring and layering of instruments is instantly noticeable and gives the band a sense of maturity that elevates them above the standard 'emo' crowd. Meanwhile, their busy rhythm section and discordant, yet harmonized riffing pays homage to their roots, but not in the way one might expect. Due to their considerable restraint, they come off more like a grown man reflecting on his teenage years than anything else.

That is perhaps the one thing that really gives this band their identity though - their age and subsequent grace with which they approach their craft. Of course that's not to say there aren't any moments that will appeal to fans of groups like The Used and Taking Back Sunday, because there are more than one could count. But with a rather grandiose approach being taken and an accomplished ear for larger scale compositions, the rough edges that usually plague such lofty plans are surprisingly smoothed out. Even so, "Lead Us To Reason" is not a unique or a must-have album - it all does come off as pretty standard-fare and done before. But for a debut effort in such an already crowded marketplace, they could have done far worse.