(power/progressive metal) Division - Control Issues - 2010, FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Here, at last, after nearly six years, is the long anticipated fourth release from the power/progressive metal outfit Division: Control Issues. The new disc brings us 11 more tracks of their trademark melodic heavy metal sound, comprising about 49 minutes of music to enjoy. This is also the first album to feature the band as it is currently configured. According to the liner notes, former Division member Matt Crooks has contributed with some of the songwriting featured on this album and apparently also helped with some of the mixing as well.

Upon initial impressions of the new album, I've noticed that it seems to take a heavier, thrashier route than their previous release, the excellent Trinity, which was released back in 2004. Also, another very good impression was the overall sound and production quality of this album. First, the front of the package is graced by some really cool album art provided by Tom Fleming. Not only that, but the sound on the album is very well mixed and produced. The vocals appear front and center as they should be. Each instrument is given its own space, with no one particularly crowding out the others. This gives each member of the band a chance to showcase his particular talent on this album.

And speaking of the band member's talents, vocalist Nick Kelly's gritty voice lends itself very well to the somewhat darker material presented on this album. Not only that, but there is some pretty sweet bass riffing provided by Ron Cummings-Kralik. Plenty of guitar solos abound, provided by Mike Blevins and Dave Evans. Of course, no metal album is complete without the thunderous drumming given to us by James Goetz, providing the raw energy needed to back this thing up.

Overall, I found this to be an excellent, solid offering from this talented group of musicians. Fans of Division, especially the current lineup, will really enjoy this album, as well as those metalheads that just love a good heavy dose of power/prog/thrash metal with some old-school trappings. Just don't expect anything truly original or groundbreaking here. For a good solid offering of some excellent straight-up, no-nonsense heavy metal, I would recommend giving this a try.

Nick Kelly - vocals
Mike Blevins - guitars and backing vocals
Dave Evans - guitars
RonCK - bass
James Goetz - drums
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Malena Malone - backing vocals