I first heard of these guys watching the movie "3000 Miles to Graceland" (their song "Angel Dust", track 10 on this CD, was featured during the "road rage" segment) and thought that they had a powerful sound, delivered with a sufficient amount of aural violence as to make for good music to listen to while at work (I really hate my job).
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But when I finally was able to listen to the whole CD, I was very pleasantly surprised. Oh, there are some really aggro metal tunes on here (the afforementioned "Angel Dust", "Sharon Stone", and "Prick" come immediately to mind). But there are also some very beautiful and moody tracks on here as well..."Passion Flower", "Siezures", "Breathe Again" and "Body and Soul", in which the band breaks all rules of pretention by including a string section on their debut album).
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Kent Boyce has a very flexible voice, reminding me of everyone from Kurt Cobain to Layne Staley to, yes, even Bono; he helps the listener believe that this is more than just another nu-metal band. Ironically, the musical depth displayed by this band is likely what's costing them the recognition they deserve; TVT Records isn't known for signing groups with a sense of melody, and their P.R. probably don't know how to market a band as diverse as BENDER to the crowd that typically wants to hear Korn or Hed(pe) launch into riff-driven aural attacks. If you're expecting anything that sounds like either of these two other bands, you're likely to be disappointed with a fair portion of this CD. If you actually enjoy good music regardless of its pigeonholed niche, I think you'll find this CD to be particularly rewarding.