Luti-Kriss - Throwing Myself (2001)
Following the underground success of their split with Travail, later re-released as the "5-EP," Luti-Kriss offers a rather accessible hardcore disc for their debut on Solid State. It sounds as if
some of the riffs would sound right at home alongside the newer names in rock radio (Godsmack, Linkin Park, etc.), but Luti-Kriss manages to maintain enough of an edge to guarantee their spot on a hardcore/metal show at best.
Though there are some spoken word and clean singing parts, the vocals are usually screamed and processed through some huge distortion effects which help maintain the edge to their sound. Unlike some other bands who do this, I think
it works rather well for their sound and generally fits the mood of the record. The bass is absolutely huge in every song, which is something I like, but the only problem is that with the low-end being so big it may cause the
entire record to sound muddy and sloppy in some stereos. The guitars are fairly thick, but not nearly as dominating as the distorted bass, and I particularly like the drum sound these guys get. Overall, the music is layered with
gigantic mid-tempo grooves held together by the massive low-end, and the production seems to bleed "Plastic Soul" era TFU with ambient effects creeping into the mix periodically. In fact, there's just a ton of TFU
influence all over this record, yet it still never seems to achieve the level of sheer chaos created by the Clark brothers. I've tried to keep from saying it, but it looks like I'm gonna have to give in--aside from maybe the
vocals, these guys are basically mall-metal. There . . . I said it . . . it's out in the open, and we all know the truth. Now, should we automatically dismiss it as poser crap? That's your call, but for what it is, I still think
it's pretty good. Furthermore, I respect the fact that these kids can be bold about their faith and completely real at the same time. The underlying theme of worship that stretches through the entire record is uplifting and
something desperately needed in this genre of music. Granted, the music is rather dated and may not have a huge long-term appeal, but the kids into this kind of stuff right now should really eat this disc up. -- Review by Jason