Coming from a band called Nights Like These, I was expecting this album to be a lot more ... well ... gay. I'm sorry. I know that's a terrible way to approach album reviewing, but when you're up against a quota you sometimes try to get a rough outline for a review before you even listen to the album. Well, fortunately for the metal buying public, Nights Like These aren't nearly lame and predictable as I suspected. Unfortunately for me, the reviewer, I now have to put some thought into this review.

I think one of the worst things to happen to tech-metal-core-scene is that as soon as all those amazing bands like Coalesce, Deadguy, Botch and Cave In either went away or went soft, their descendants got totally reductive with the style. It's all so damn funny and ironic now. So instead of the bizarre, angular, moving, and sometimes downright unsettling material you got from the aforementioned acts, you get bands like Every Time I Die or Norma Jean trying make the art form work in three to four minute southern rock songs. It's cute, but it's not what I want. Nights Like These is what I want. This is just smart, focused stuff. The songs alternate between Breather Resist-like ferocity and tempered melodic passages that more honestly summon the spirit of Until Your Heart Stops era Cave In than any other band playing the style today. And although the bloodshot-eyed cadences to melodic crescendos in songs like "The Faithless" and "We Were Meant for Ruin" are a touch predictable, their emotional impact is supported by their confidant execution. "Scavenger's Daughter" manipulates this dynamic expertly. At 3 minutes and 10 seconds it's the longest song on the album, and the one that allows the band to most fully explore their hauntingly melodic capabilities.

The actual performances are what seal the deal. Gritty and unbridled with a scathing, acerbic edge, this is certainly not the kind of bravado I expected from a Victory Records act.. These songs, which were recorded with Converge's Kurt Ballou at God City Studios, bear the mark or their talented producer yet still allow the players to shine above all else.

If the record label, band name, or list of influences didn't turn you away from Nights Like These, then you should browse your way over to this bands Myspace page and sample a few tracks. Along with bands like The Power and the Glory, The Blinding Light, and Swarm of the Lotus, Nights Like These are among the few bands capable of finding worthwhile avenues to explore in this seemingly exhausted genre.