A 'shot' through the darkness

The title may be lame, but the music is steady for this Los Angeles quartet's sophomore release. Overall, the album is slower and more laid back than nü metal, being devoid of eccentric beats, ferocious rhythms and ear-searing vocals. \nTravelling to Chicago to work with Disturbed's producer, Johnny K, Earshot has found the right man for its music. Opening with the pounding "Wait," the band takes the listener on a twisted journey through the hard rock subgenre.\nTrudging through dreary, moody, grungy and basic hard rock, during the middle of the album, Earshot kicks down the door to its moodiest, yet most grooving, smackdown before it slows down toward the end with its saddest songs, "Goodbye" and "Should've Been There." The former is a relatable tongue-lashing about an end to a friendship, while the latter is an emotive guitar and vocal propelled ballad.\nThe album concludes with the fiery "Control," returning to the misery that enshrouds the first eight songs. All that is good about the record is encompassed by alternating motifs of broody anxiety and slashing anger -- both with excellent composition. Two concludes in the shadows of hard feelings.