4 out of 5

Label: Kill Rock Stars

Produced by: Scott Swayze (engineer)

Metal.  Sweet, sweet metal.  From 70s Zeppelin haze and prog through studded-leather 80s, and 90s Metallica excess: C Average does it all.  And they do it all exceedingly well, without a freaking note or beat out of place, regardless of whether they’re doing their space rock jam with opener Interstellar Overdrive mash-up, or doing the bar rock thing with a ZZ Top cover, or just blowing up the world with epic guitar and drumming interplay.  This is precision, but then it’s also captured with an eye on that lovely live feeling: the sound is raw and rough but never over-reaching, or over-done, or jamming on one note for too long, or in doubt of where it needs to go next; you happened to catch that one special night when some dudes get up on stage and cause everyone to stop what they’re doing.

This kinda stuff isn’t without repetition, of course – some of the songs in the middle maybe sound like some other songs in the middle – and the lyrics are sorta for shit when they happen, but C Average is pretty mindful of that, too – everything is just a good burst for a couple of minutes, excepting those select tracks – the elf-flavored Dark Harbour, the fret-board awesomeness of closes American Jim and Riddermark Rock – that want to make a stand for metal – at 5 minutes, 6 minutes – pulling out all stops…

Get in, get out.  That’s the M.O. here.  And hot damn does it work.