Oh ruddy hell it's Panic Cell
Panic Cell's second album 'What doesn't kill us...' has already received positive media attention from the shelf magazines. It's created such responses as "Intricate and expressive guitar work...'What doesn't kill us...' is an album apart from the genre's usual style" (Guitarist) and "A band that really sound ready for war...a staggering metal beast" (Total Guitar) and lastly from Kerrang themselves "Their finest hour to date!!!" All I can deduce is that all of the above must have been listening to a different album because all I can hear, even after numerous listens, is a generic, uninspired and by the numbers nu-metal album.
Panic Cell received much airplay of their video 'Save Me' which was, in it's own American stylised way, a decent tune, but far from special. 'What doesn't kill us...' carries on the band sound with little progression. It has some big guitars, thumping drums and is mixed to perfection and in essence progression isn't really required as far as the sound is concerned. The problem I have with this album is there are many compact discs in the world that contain this type of music, it's just those discs were made a number of years ago.
We're talking Drowning Pool, Sevendust and Disturbed territory here. Of course there's nothing wrong with this, but I guarantee you can find more satisfaction of this genre on the above three band's debut albums. 'Stare into Oblivion' does it's best to kick proceedings into gear and succeeds to a certain degree. But the following two tracks, 'Human Tarmac' and 'Fallen' just have that 'heard it all before' aura about them. Album highlight 'Forced Down' is head and shoulders above everything else on this disc whereas 'Soul Purge' is simply woeful. By the time 'Bleed to this' hits the speakers the sonic fumes of mediocrity are almost causing me to asphyxiate.
I guess it all boils down to what you want from your metal. If sub standard nu-metal shenanigans will enable you to get through to the next Disturbed album then this long player could be exactly what you're looking for. The disc as a whole certainly isn't terrible it just needs some energy and mind bending riffs to add potency to the music. For all those Panic Cell fans currently screaming for my blood then read those shelf reviews again to cheer yourself up, after all it's just my opinion what do you care? For those who are new to Panic Cell then try such bands as Beyond Fear, Head On and Evile first, take my word for it as a metal fan for over 20 years.
'What doesn't kill us...' maybe described as Panic Cell's finest hour to date but when it's only their 2nd album there's not many finest hours to choose from. All I can say to the CD buying public is beware, I've been stung by many generic sounding album over the years. CDs that sound ok on initial listen but have very little depth and sustainability. I can almost guarantee that if you purchase this album you'll be dusting off your copies of Disturbed and Drowning Pool within a couple of days.