CD Review [cntrl] and Photography by Jere Perry
DEFENDING CAIN, hailing from Inwood, WV, is not just a bunch of country bumpkins plucking on banjos. They
are a well-oiled, hard rocking group that packs show after show. Their third release [cntrl], recorded at
DARKESVILLE STUDIOS, engineered and mixed by JEREMY DOVE, shows a growth within the band and also within
the talents of Jeremy in the studio.
“Here Today (Gone Today)”, the opening song of the 5-track EP, hits hard, with heavy guitars and drums, yet
the smooth-as-silk vocals of front man, BRANDON WRIGHT, perpetrate one’s ears. It leaves you wondering how
these vocals can be in a metal album…but it is pulled off impeccably throughout the song. Make no mistake,
“Here Today (Gone Today)” can lay waste to much of the commercialized, overproduced music on the radio
today.
Brandon Wright
“Gin”, with its blazing guitar work from JASON HURST and Jeremy Dove, is sure to be a favorite of those like
hard-driving guitar work and two completely vocal sets within the same track. You have not only the
smoothness, but also the track is inundated (in a good way) by the groveling screams that we hear in today’s
new metal.
“Blindside” hits hard. As I listened to the track, I can’t help but wonder how this song plays out live. If you listen
carefully, there seems to be more going on than there are instruments to produce it, yet it is all brought together