Symphony of Voices

There's a very strange moment near the end of this album: on track twelve, a song called "I Can See It in Your Eyes," the band's sound suddenly shifts subtly but noticeably from the crunchy post-emo rock that is their usual turf to a sound that comes perilously close to that of '80s hair metal — something like a cross between Journey and Taking Back Sunday. As it turns out, the explanation for that sudden shift is that the song was written by former Journey lead singer Steve Perry, who happened to be visiting a friend in the studio where Guff was recording their album. He was so impressed that he invited them to record this previously unreleased Journey song, and even produced the recording of that track himself. It makes for a charmingly whimsical (and musically not bad at all) detour from the band's usual fare, which is heavy and crunchy and not always as hookwise as it should be. Symphony of Voices opens on a sonically powerful but musically unconvincing note, with two tracks in a row of texturally impressive but melodically boring power pop; then the title track kicks in with a great hook, and "Bleed Like You" follows it up nicely. The album's best track is "No More Time," a solid slab of meat-and-potatoes rock with great chorus harmonies and spectacular guitar tone. (One more minor complaint, though: the thirteenth and final song on a 40-minute album is not a "bonus track," even if it's a ratty acoustic demo.) Recommended.