Lvl Iv

LVL IV is the Epic Records debut of Buffalo, NY-based Future Leaders of the World (or "FLOW"). Throughout, the band is extremely close to the sound and mood of Nirvana. Opener "Spotlight," for example, recalls the powerful halftime screed of the In Utero-era "Milk It." Frontman and songwriter Phil Tayler has perfected a slurring, raspy version of Kurt Cobain's delivery, and he uses it to great effect on "Spotlight" and first single "Let Me Out," the latter of which also benefits from an ounce of plaintive melody. But Tayler and his band aren't indebted wholly to Nirvana (even if "Sued" is a straight musical and vocal approximation). "Kill Pop" comments cynically on popular culture as Tayler channels the shrill phrasing of Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha, and Rage's restless political consciousness is echoed in the album-closing rant, "Your Gov't Loves You," in which an angrily sarcastic Tayler connects the title to a sneering "Rest assured." LVL IV features the always strong production of veteran loud rock guy GGGarth (who actually helmed Rage's first album). And there's mixing from Andy Wallace on "Let Me Out" and a few other tracks, which sort of validates the Future Leaders' extreme Nirvana lean. But even if they do hark straight back to those heady days of the early-'90s alternative explosion, Tayler and the Future Leaders never veer into full-fledged replication. They focus instead on tightly played songs, and Tayler's cynicism and gravity in the frontman position. LVL IV has a lot to offer fans of similarly focused groups, such as Puddle of Mudd or Drowning Pool. [The album was also issued in an edited-for-content version.] ~ Johnny Loftus, Rovi