Smile Empty Soul - Smile Empty Soul

With a name like Smile Empty Soul and that annoying chorus of their first single, (you know the one, "I do it for the druuuugs...") this band already has two strikes against them. However, after listening to their debut, self-titled album, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they did manage to avoid the deadly third strike, and they came out ok. This album starts out with the previously mentioned "Bottom of a Bottle", but from there the lyrics get slightly better and things start to pick-up. "Silhouettes" takes things in a positive direction, with a nice melodic chorus and pleasant guitar work. "This is War" is a really nice acoustic track that combines a string quintet with haunting vocals to create one of the most memorable songs on the album. From there we go into "Therapy" and "For You", both of which are pretty mellow, but solid before moving into "Your Way" and "Every Sunday" which pick things up a bit. Then it is back to slower more acoustic songs like "With This Knife". Basically, the album alternates between the more aggressive, modern-rock songs and the slower acoustic ones that really display singer Sean Danielson's vocal talent. I guess the weakest thing about the Smile Empty Soul debut would have to be the lyrics. Subject matter doesn't stray very far from drugs, abuse, and lots of other angst-ridden things. It's just a little too reminiscent of the beginning of nu-metal and all the hate-fueled screams that the genre became known for. It leaves me wondering if singer Sean Danielsen is really that tormented, or if it is all a bit contrived. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the album, and while it definitely won't blow you away, it is an OK effort from this Lava Records band. [www.smileemptysoul.com]