Too Many Gods meld technology with a brutish hybrid of modern metal to create a form of music that is both heavy and dizzying in the same breath. Comparable to groups like Spineshank and older 20 Dead Flower Children the group are satisfyingly aggressive and possess the ability to unexpectedly disintegrate into sonic dissonance before following it up by transforming right back into a belligerent metal machine in the blink of an eye.

Vocally the CD is populated with remorseful verses that can at times seem frantic as they jog through edgy lyrical patterns and have a somewhat hard boiled nature to them. Slightly melodic, yet still intense they whisk across the thickly layered tracks before exploding into throaty vocals that gruffly bark out their anger with a pseudo hardcore styling. Guitars crisply carve out well rounded riffs that stay within the lines of a moderate tonal range and are compensated with a grisly distortion that at times bring to mind something along the lines of a more conservatively tuned Coal Chamber. Bass wise the playing style shown here is more or less supplied for stability and provides support for the guitar and drums as it becomes the cohesive bond between the two with well placed notes that solidly tie things together. Drums feature a resilient snare sound that is neither tuned too high or dull. A hard hitting technique is utilized and there's plenty rolls to keep the fuel flowing and although it may not be the most creative performance ever captured, it still manages to competently get the job done. Samples and programming play a big role within the material included on this disc and touch upon a more electronic ambiance vibe that doesn't intrude or sound outlandish and rather creates a constantly swirling background noise that heightens the experience.

The group's music is focused and they are not afraid to launch a direct attack against the listener, but their strongest quality is no doubt the inclusion of programming and samples as it takes them from being just another metal band to a sort of progressive oddity. While most bands are out trying to downtune their guitars low and re-create the first Korn record, these boys seem to have no interest in such activities and hit with something that originates from left field and that is what makes their music such a curious listen. It's not a perfect mixture yet though, as the varying song parts fail to lock together in a completely natural manner, but it's definitely a worthy effort that deserves a listen from those who want something that isn't rehashed or been entirely done before. Too Many Gods were by no means blind when they went into the studio to record this album and although it may be like a lottery to succeed in this business, with the talent and fresh ideas shown here, a little more growth and evolution will establish them as a group who will be able to attract quite a following.
(4 / 5)