Have we been here before...?
Laruso came to life in August 2002, the brainchild of guitarist Darren Smith and vocalist Jason Abel; now, three-years later and with the arrival of Max Williams (drums), Simon Hills (bass) and Carl Brown (guitar), the Sheffield-based five-piece finally see the release of their perfectly polished debut album, 'Bring It On'.
In trying to describe Laruso's sound it's less of a question of what they sound like and more a question of whom they sound like; perhaps most obviously, the harmonies and intricate lyrical patterns suggest the influence of Incubus, accentuated by the slightly American sounding inflection of Jason Abel's pronunciation. Similarly, their soft-rock sound and infectious melodies are reminiscent of Lost Prophets, while the combination of frenzied screams and emotive singing smacks of Hundred Reasons or Linkin Park.
The title track, 'Bring It On', gets the album off to an up tempo start, with its great melody and fast pace, while tracks like 'Falling Apart' and 'Same' combine heavy rock guitars and powerful hooks with catchy, pop melodies. 'Under' is one of the most exciting tracks on the album, with an even heavier, darker sound, although the similarity to Incubus is almost overwhelming here.
'Sorry Now' and 'Follow' embrace whole-heartedly the pop-sensibilities hinted at by the earlier tracks. Again, in these slower tracks you get the distinct feeling that you've heard these songs before and find yourself desperately trying to work out who it is the band sound like rather than enjoying the music. However, from 'The End' onwards, 'Bring It On' shifts up a gear and returns to the heavier sound of 'Same' and 'Falling Apart', in particular, 'Over Again' is a more convincing rock song; catchy but still heavy sounding with screaming vocals.
Overall, 'Bring It On' is a polished album that fuses a huge guitar sound with gigantic melodies and passionate vocals to create the kind of slick, infectiously catchy rock that will undoubtedly capture a more mainstream audience. However, there's not much originality here for the more discerning rock fan and a pervasive feeling that you've heard it all before somewhere else.