Coming right up front and saying it, I was never overly sold on Switched as a band. Sure, they had tremendous production value. And yes, they did have a good friendship with then-up-and-comers Chimaira. Sure, they had the chance to do the Ozzfest as well. But with all that said, they were one of many bands that sounded like they did when Subject To Change came out in 2002. You have to be honest though and say that they should have been bigger. They had some catchy music and the right hookups, but unfortunately the wrong record label at the time to get them the exposure they needed. I'm sure the band will be the first to tell you that playing an Ozzfest at 10am is no better for the growth of a band than headlining a small club in their hometown.

As some may know, Switched had to fight to get off their previous label. Around that time, the production world of Switched vocalist Ben Schiegel really took off, and the band fell apart as Schiegel's professional life as a producer took off. Still, they had recorded a second CD that Immortal decided they didn't want to put out there. At long last, Corporate Punishment has obtained the rights to that 2nd CD, and packaged it with an enticing collection of demos, B-Sides and live tracks from the band's short history. Overall, it's not a bad collection. Ghosts In The Machine is much more radio friendly than Subject To Change was. Many of the songs, such as "Empty Promises" or "Like Suicide" are every bit as friendly as any Sevendust song you've ever heard on your favorite alt-rock radio station. As a vocalist, Schiegel seemed to find his voice on GITM. With a lot more voice and not as much screaming, these songs should have been annoying you all by being overplayed in the summer of 2004. Instead, they sat hidden in Schiegel's basement. Guitarists Brad Kochmit and Joe Schiegel provided what has become the standard "rock radio" sound throughout - lots of rough rhythms, no real solos to speak of, but enough sound to remind you that this is a heavy rock band. Tracks like "Who Feels" or "Save Myself" are driving rockers. Overall, the second album would have been good (not great), but it's debatable whether a good, motivated label could have done something significant with this recording. My gut tells me yes, but clearly we will never find out now.