If ever there was an album that took forever to reach the market (aside from Guns n' Roses Chinese Democracy), this has to be it. Signed back in 2005 to Lava Records, Egypt Central went to work with producer Josh Abraham (Orgy, Staind, Linkin Park, Velvet Revolver) and recorded what was planned to be their debut album. However, a shake-up within the label left them dropped and their album unreleased.

Following this, the band released the album independently, where it did very well. Then came the next record deal, this time it was Bieler Bros, in 2006. Again, the album was not released and the two parted ways. After a successful run on Ozzfest's second stage, they have now signed with Fat Lady Music and their self titled debut album is now going to see the light of day. 

The big question is whether or not the wait was worth it.

As I made my initial listen, two thoughts ran circles through my gray matter. My first thought was the album was solid. The music is well crafted, slickly produced, and filled with radio-friendly, catchy riffs. There is no denying how easy this is to listen to. The other thought, which competed for equal attention, was that this sound is hitting much too late. It sounds like something that would have been huge five or six years ago. This was before learning of the album's long history.

The band formed in 2001, was signed on the basis of their demo and strong live performance in 2005, which would have been a little bit late, but still within the territory of popularity for the style. However, three years later, despite the music being solid, the chances of them hitting it real big, at least with this album, are towards the shallower end of the pool. 

The sound is reminiscent of Chevelle, Saliva, and other post-nu metal/alt metal/hard rock acts. Is that enough genres for you? I can't stand all of these labels, and these may not even fit, but they seem to be the most accurate way to describe their sound. Each song seems tailor-made for the radio set, with most having easily accessible hooks and with run times all under 4 minutes, save one.