Review by Adam M on August 7, 2011.

Drainland plays music that has a distinctly Hardcore-influenced sound. The groove they maintain actually reminded me most strongly of the grind band Nasum, however. The sound is dirty, but appropriate for very bare-bones sound the band is going for. This is music that relies on the ferocity of riffs in a manner that is combined optimally with a reasonable amount of speed.

However, a touch of atmosphere is added to the ferocity to add more depth to the sound. The songs have the ability to grasp your interest frequently, but there is also no doubt that they bog down slightly from time to time, especially when the band takes its foot off the gas pedal. For once, I’m pleased with the use of bass guitar in a metal release because it adds a great deal of groove to the sound of the act and the portions that are heavy on this are the most successful. 'Luxophage' is a song that displays the manner that bass is used to add colour to the track.

I didn’t enjoy this album as much as something like Human 2.0, but it’s clear that Drainland has a lot of promise and has delivered material that is very worthwhile indeed. There is a lot of room for the band to evolve the songs into something that has greater depth and innovation. However, Drainland has found a sound that is distinctly to their liking to work from on this release and is able to play the aggressive music with integrity. There aren’t many major faults in such a quality release, but it does lose a bit of steam towards the latter portions. "…And So Our Troubles Began" is still very solid stuff.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 6.5
Originality: 8
Overall: 7.5

Rating:7.6 out of 10