I have to say, the name alone sort of set me back. Before opening the CD I knew they'd be black metal; the question begs is it good black metal or bad black metal? Is there even such a thing anymore? Didn't Venom, Mercyful Fate and Hellhammer set the standard in the 80s, and didn't Mayhem, Emperor, Immortal and Burzum light it anew (no pun intended) some 15-years ago? How much is truly enough?

I look at this way: I'm ever the optimist when it comes to music. I shouldn't be, but I am. So whenever I receive new CD's to review I do it with an open mind. After all, I'm metal to the bone for most of my 35-years. As such, I can give, with some degree of authority, a valid opinion on what is good, bad or other. Well, on to Baby Stab Horror.

Formed in New England in 2005, the band consists of Demither: Guitars, Keyboards; Maloderous Rex: Bass Guitar; Sardon S.: Sermon; D. Blast: Sadism. I'm thinking the sermon is the vocal and the sadism is the drums…that's what I'm thinking.

I'd have to honestly say the first song, "Progress", did little but confuse and get me longing for the next track. It was too heavy on the annoying growling that NO ONE can do with any true sense of originality anymore; that's not the fault of vocalist Sardon S. per se, but it's all just running together in a long blur of two decades of similar vocals doing nothing to gain a stay of execution in my memory. While I must say the second track, "The Fallout" fares a bit better in the musical aspect with some good guitar work and not-so-run-of-the-mill vocals, I'm still not overly impressed. "The Crown of Four" actually starts out damn decent and reminds me a bit of Dissection in its melodic structure, but somewhere in the middle the track just loses stream for me. While I'm not a fan of keys in music, I understand the general desire and ultimate need for them in some black metal to create an atmosphere. I tend to believe a lot of bands use this to compensate for their lack of substance or depth in the songs, but it fits well in this band's repertoire. It's not overloading in the speakers or drowning out the other instruments, so it's good.

"Vermin Revelation", "Masochist", and "Sentinel" pretty much sum up the feel of the first tracks in that they are decent black metal, but not anything I'd rank up there with the "true" bands of old. I wish I could say this CD is amazing, but I simply have to say it's mediocre and a bit "tired" in the genre its nestled into, sad to say. While the CD has moments of true clarity and eyebrow-raising riffs it simply does little to grab me around the neck. However, it's the band's first CD – maybe they'll go on to blow away the competition in 2007. I hope so, but I'm thinking a change of genre might fit. Th

A lot of talent and promise is heard, but there's just nothing earth-shaking here. Better luck next go around.