Project 86 disappoints fans

The lines have been drawn. But Project 86's album "Drawing Black Lines" does not measure up to the high expectations placed on it.

After the band's highly successful 1998 self-titled debut and recent signing with Atlantic Records, the Orange County band's sophomore release came with much anticipation.

Both one-dimensional and a bore to listen to, all the songs settle into the same tired groove.

Once in a while the band will begin a song with a bass intro or a soft, clean guitar intro only to head back into what seems to be the same song that preceded it.

The album starts out promisingly with the oddly titled songs, "Stein's Theme" and "One-Armed Man (Play on)." Both songs combine the band's aggressive style boasting thick, grinding guitars and screaming choruses with masterful song arrangements, varying speeds, stops and melodic aspects.

However by the third song, the formula becomes old with little deviation and it becomes apparent that this is all that the band can really do.

While the band successfully dodges falling completely into the rap-core genre that has practically monopolized modern rock stations in the past year, the band does absolutely nothing out of the ordinary and nothing even close to original.

Fans of Helmet, Rollin's Band, Slipknot, Korn and Limp Bizkit's non-rapping moments should feel at home listening Project 86 as they let their influences shine recognizably through their sonic assault.
 

Despite the lack of originality and indecipherable lead vocals, there are some redeeming qualities within the 12-song album.

"Sad Machines" evokes visions of the Offspring song "Gone Away" only replacing the catchy sing along chorus with painful screaming. The song is a nice change of pace for the album and is definitely the direction the band should pursue.

An even bigger change of pace is the haunting "Star," a soft, murky and almost sinister track with nearly-whispered vocals layered over sparse instrumentation.

For once, the lyrical content shines over the sheer testosterone which drenches this album, to reveal very poetic insight by lead screamer Andrew Schwab.

"Outside looking down on me/Outside the view is so much more/How could I be?/Better late than dead/I am more than a noise to be/Stepping through, moving past collectively"

After the relief provided by "Star" it is back to business as usual with the all-out assault of overly loud guitars, pounding drums and buried vocals until the end of the album.

As if intent on ending the album on the worst possible note, the band closes with an 11-minute, mostly instrumental and entirely soulless song which seems more like an extended jam session than a serious attempt to rock.