If you favour hard driven rock with a sense of attitude, but few thrills, then maybe this is for you.

New York rockers Black Water Rising play a brand of no-frills, foot-on-the-pedal rock 'n' roll, and hammer down a message of intent with opening number 'Show No Mercy', a mixture of relentless riffs all wrapped in an iron-clad sound.

'The Allure Of Self Destruction' is a moody piece with a lukewarm chorus that sadly just gets lost in the muddy guitar sound. Singer Rob Traynor has a huge pair of lungs when he gets the chance to use them. 'Last Man Standing' has him screeching over a slow rhythm of guitars, which give the feel of ill intent. The band pull no punches in the lyrical content of 'Dance With The Devil'. It's the story of junkies and various lowlifes in society, and is a song with harsh disdain.

It becomes apparent that Black Water Rising are trying to mix up a lot of styles, which keeps the music fresh, but does also give them an unfortunate lack of identify. It's almost as if we are listening to them trying to discover their signature sound. 'Along For The Ride' will appeal to fans of Alter Bridge, that is if you can get over the rather monotonous guitar sound that virtually drags the song to a halt. 'Fire It Up' is a standard rock grunge song and 'All Gone' follows in a similar path. They're all played well enough, but cracks begin to show as each song just blends into the next with little depth.

So, if you favour hard driven rock with a sense of attitude, but few thrills, then maybe this is for you...

Ray Paul