By mixing and matching caustic and smooth vocals, technical precision and raw aggression, and hard rock appeal and heavy metal attitude, L.A's 40 Cycle Hum are being heralded as some sort of great white hope for American hard rock. The band's music is getting airtime on the Playboy Channel and the TV Guide Channel, and the guys recently inked a deal with the hip rock-apparel retailer Hot Topic to sell 40 Cycle Hum merch. So, is the quartet's debut album, Secret Skin, all that and more? Not really, but it is locked and loaded with 11 boozy, brash and break-neck songs that prove American dudes still know how to rock without the crutch of gimmicks. Vocalist/guitarist Brandon Mitchell's claustrophobic vocals bounce like electrical currents off Mark Zavon's fiery licks and appealing backing vocals, while the bottom-heavy rhythm section of Kenny Lefort and Francis Ruiz relentlessly thuds away — leaving listeners gasping for air. Highlights of this sonic assault include dual-vocal punches to the gut like "Just Leave It" and "Breakdown," as well as first single, "Send Me An Angel" — an unlikely reinvention of a song originally released by Eighties Australian poppers Real Life. It's all over in less than 38 minutes, but with overly aggressive lyrics and no ballads, that's long enough.
Track Listing:
1) Breakdown
2) Bring It On
3) Send Me An Angel
4) Tell Me Why
5) Sinkin' Down
6) Just Leave It
7) Not Laughin' Alone
8) Final Line
9) Reach Out
10) Trust
11) Part of You
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