1QA: 1QA

Herald rating: * * *

1QA's seven-song EP gives you the feeling they're working on their sound, and this is not how it will end up.

That's a good thing, because while some great moments come through, (such as the fierce riffs of The Anarchy and distant discord of Secrets) so, too, do the many influences, including everything from the Mars Volta to Marilyn Manson, the Deftones and defunct local band, Weta. In fact, I Will sounds like a first cousin to Weta's Calling On or Let It Go from their 2000 album Geographica.

But while seething, plant-your-feet riffs, brooding break-downs and beautiful melodic vocals crossed with gut-wrenching screams mix things up, the EP does contain moments of bog-standard rock, such as the last track The End. Don't be fooled, even though it is 15 minutes long it contains nearly 10 minutes of silence.

In other places it sounds like Faith No More and has the potential for that band's severe case of the bent-and-twisteds.

1QA's individual attitude comes punching through sporadically and, when it does, it's vein-poppingly good. But it's outweighed by those influences. Though, one senses these guys are ravenous and writing new material as you read this.

Label: Hells Basement Records