Seek The Mind Of God ...

On Focused's 1st album, the band is raw, heavy and at times chaotic. Their follow up album is slightly more focused with slicker song writing and a stronger sense of melody. The hardcore edge is not lost due to Tim Mann's aggressive narrative.

"The Hope That Lies Within Us" starts off with a thrashy, aggressive approach on "Empty". The mid paced riffs complement the gruff vocals and quiet reflections. This is my favourite track here as it reminds me most of "Bow".

"Red" is a bleak mid-pacer with touches of melody and "Killing Years" is a heavy crunch that quickens with thrashy flourishes. "No One" has thrash tendencies with a more aggressive edge that clings to melody.

"Consumer" is a little faster using off-tempo riffing akin to Helmet to create a meaty mid-paced chugger. "Evasion" and "Dead Sky" are both slower mid-paced chuggers that suffer because of the similarities. They are not much different though "Dead Sky" is a little more upbeat.

The album closer "Hurts To Ask" is the speediest track here with a punky vibe.

Although this album is pretty solid, I find the songs are not as memorable as "Bow" and the production is weaker. The guitars are a little thinner and don't pack the same punch. The melodies though nice take a bit of the edge of the aggressive, but I do find Tim's vocals refreshing. He has a great style that works with the music.

Coming up next is one more spirit-filled hardcore band before I move onto other styles.

Stay tuned for Focal Point.