Waldemar Sorychta has quite an impressive resume as a producer, having worked with probably half the Century Media roster at one point or another. As far as his body of work as a musician and band leader… well, that's another story altogether. One would be hard-pressed to find somebody whose favorite band is GRIP INC., what with their boring riffs, their go-nowhere songs and annoying singer. To put it another way, if a band employs the awesomeness of drummer Dave Lombardo and still can't rise above the level of mediocrity, there's something horribly, horribly wrong.

Sadly, things aren't looking any brighter with Mr. Sorychta's new band EMENY OF THE SUN. On a positive note, the cover design is really cool and would probably make a bitching tattoo. And sure, the D-tuned thrash riffs are fairly decent… plus the guy behind the drum kit does some impressive double bass work, even if he's no Dave Lombardo. Everything turns to complete shit, though, once the squeaky clean vocals and sickeningly poppy choruses come up. There's nothing like getting into a riff and then have your concentration and enjoyment shattered by some dude sounding straight out of Nickelodeon singing "Why can't I feel this?" It's like fitting a square peg into the eye of a needle.

If that wasn't bad enough, what else could make this album possibly any worse? How about an identity crisis? Yep, this album proves that even someone that's been around as long as Waldemar Sorychta can be suckered in by modern fads in a desperate attempt at attracting a younger audience. "Lives Based on Conflicts" sounds like it could have been written by ATREYU, and their attempt at progression, "Clearly Surreal" would best be described as "clearly forced". It's a wonder they don't sport dyed-black shag haircuts and eyeliner.

If there's any silver lining to this fiasco, it's the hope that Mr. Sorychta learns his lesson and next time around opts for quality over potential sales… or better yet, he'll stick to sitting behind the mixing board. In the meantime, "Shadows" is an album best left in the dark. Oh, and on second thought, don't get a tattoo of the cover design.

- Cardona

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/enemyofthesunband

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