Crossfade is Ed Sloan (lead vocals, guitar), Mitch James (bass, vocals), Tony Byroads (vocals, turntables, sampler) and Brian Geiger (drums) and has evolved through three bands, starting as Nothing, changing to Sugardaddy Superstar and finally settling on Crossfade. They recorded the tracks that would later become Crossfade in Sloan's home studio for a regional, independent release on Earshot Records. The band showcased the album for Columbia records who signed the band a few days later and issued the major-label debut with very little touching up.

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when record companies, particularly majors, waited for an "up-and-coming" band to develop their sound and come into thier own before debuting that band. Now, with the focus on releasing the next big thing (ie: "the next Metallica" or "the next Sting", etc.) and finding the next big sound, there is a pronounced dirge of bands that sound like the original "next big things" like Metallica, Nickelback, etc. The self-titled debut album from North Carolina's Crossfade suffers from this exact malady.

The problem isn't bad music or bad playing, it's a pronounced lack of originality. They just sound so much like everyone else that it's difficult to really get into their music. It's very easy to say that if you like any of those melodic hard-rock bands like Creed, Nickelback, Stained, Godsmack, etc. then you will probably enjoy this CD. In fact, you might just confuse this CD with one from any of the previously mentioned bands.

I realize that all bands start out emulating and sounding like their influences and that's not necessarily a bad thing. However, as a general rule, by the time their major-label debut comes out, they've usually established their own sound and rounded off the "cover-band" sound and feel. That doesn't hold true with this CD, though and it's unfortunate because they are really good musicians and do write good songs.

I really feel that they would have benefitted from "cutting their teeth" a bit more and developed their own sound. I look forward to checking in with them a couple of albums down the line and seeing what they've developed into. Crossfade, however is far too generic-sounding and sounds more like a greatest hits compilation of the above listed bands than an original debut.

rating: 4 of 10