Various Artists
Light From The Underground
Reviewed by Jeff Lott
This musical buffet gives us offerings from four (once) up and coming alternative bands and a previously unreleased track from one of metal's hottest bands. More about that one later...
Union starts things off with the very cool Pearl Jam meets King's X tune, "Cry," then continues with "Everlasting" -- a song perfect for top-40 radio. The band finishes with the funky "Run."
Austin based (and now defunct) band, The Cry, is next with their eclectic style. Songs like "Stone By Stone" and "Pictures of Babylon" really make me wonder why this artistic group never made it.
Spatt is next, with "Farm" and "Someday in May." More acoustic than electric, they really didn't keep my attention.
From Dallas comes the next band -- Trio of One. Their tunes, like "Nobody's Hero" and "Like You Love Me" show how good alternative can be, with their groovin' yet laid-back guitar sound and Charlie Peacock-like vocals.
To finish things off comes the granddaddies of hardcore -- The Crucified -- with a powerhouse tune called "Power of God." What a killer song. With Jim Chaffin's pounding double bass, Jeff Belew's throbbing bass, Greg's smokin' guitar, and Mark shouting, "know the power of God is alive!" This is a must have for Crucified fans.
Overall, this release does the job. It made me keep wanting to listen; and, since I'm a certified metal fan, I'd say that's a feather in Ocean Record's cap.