Aquarius
When Dave Baksh proclaimed that he was leaving the salad days — and greenbacks — of pop-punkers Sum 41 in order to pursue his beloved heavy metal the general reaction was to question his sanity but support him for being true to his hesher roots. Listening to debut album Into the Mouth of Badd(d)ness one instantly realizes that while Baksh was held back in Sum maybe he isn’t quite as metal as he thought. Sure there are plenty of low-end chugs and squealing searing-hot solos on the effort but simply detuning and growling does not a metal album make. Factor in that a disproportionately large amount of the record feels and sounds decidedly rap-metal and the whole thing reeks of intention that reaches far beyond what ability can achieve. That said this is the band’s debut effort and due to the strong heart put forth maybe with a few more shows and recordings Brown Brigade will shed the shadow that dogs them and come into their own. Into the Mouth of Badd(d)ness may suffer from insecurity but it clearly is a passable and respectable debut.
