A newspaper in Kentucky has called local heroes Pownd the Black Sabbath of the new millennium. While that certainly is an exaggeration, this quintet takes massive inspiration from bottom-heavy old-school metal bands and fuses it with progressive and thrash tendencies to make thick and aggressive metal for a new generation of headbangers. The result? Nothing to get too excited about, quite frankly, until "The Stand" — the fourth track on Pownd's debut CD, Circle of Power. That song takes this band to a new level. All of sudden, vocalist Michael Duncan seems to discover his inner Geoff Tate, while guitarists Ronnie Duncan and Rick Sargent sound as if they've been holding back on the disc's first three songs (the notable exception being opener "Still I Bleed"). The melodic sensibilities in songs like "Changes," "Slowly Drowning" and "Place in the Sun" recall those of Lance King-era Balance of Power. So it's no wonder, really, that Pownd is now signed to King's own Nightmare Records.
Track Listing:
1) Still I Bleed
2) Blind
3) Monster
4) The Stand
5) Changes
6) Never Means Forever
7) Divided
8) Slowly Drowning
9) Ellie
10) Place in the Sun
11) Swatting Flies
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
