Smile Empty Soul’s new album, Vultures, is full of punk, hard rock, and melodies which run smoothly through your ears but make you want to curse and beat the hell out of pretty much everyone that comes near you.

Vultures is the band's own. I found that it is probably not their best, but they say more in this CD than in the rest of their albums combined. You hear the real band, and if you listen, you will get exactly what they're saying. I listened to the album three times before I chose to like it.

The first time I listened to it, I thought, "Damn it, not another rip-off of Puddle of Mudd. Damn nasal singers." The second time, I got over the fact that they sound like Puddle of Mudd and started listening to the lyrics and the sounds behind the lyrics. When I started listening to everything together and stopped complaining, I got a feeling for the album and what they were saying. The third time I was singing along with some of the lyrics.

The songs deal with such issues as Christianity, growing up in private schools, dealing with old record labels and new ones, and the music industry altogether.

There is not a single song that comes off as positive. It is all very vengeful, spiteful, hateful, and, sadly, you can't help but agree with most of what they are saying. "Take me away from these people/That want shit from me/Just tell them I'm busy/So fuck off and die..." You want to say the same thing to those bums who bother you only when you have something.

The songs sound good and make you want to rock out, but the single positive message I found in this whole album is "do what you want and to hell with everyone else."

For this album, two members are gone and two new ones have arrived. The two who stayed are Sean Danielsen and the bassist, Ryan Martin. The two new members are the guitarist, Mike Booth (who was in the band Cold) and the drummer, Jake Kilmer (who used to be a part of the band The Flipper Babies.

If you enjoy Puddle of Mudd or Deftones, you will definitely enjoy this band. Just know that cursing is not optional. Without the cursing, the meaning of the songs is lost. The lyrical content must stay in the music, or else you will lose the full justice given the subjects of the songs.

I enjoyed at least six of the twelve songs. If you decide that you're willing to shell out the ten dollars for this CD, you’ll probably enjoy at least a few songs. I would suggest listening to the music on some free music sites before deciding to buy the CD just in case you don’t like the music.

At the end of the CD’s twelfth song, "Vultures", there is a hidden track that you will find if you wait till the track runs thirty-one seconds into its eighteenth minute. This track is kind of a rap version, which I am completely disgusted with.

If you enjoy Kid Rock or some gangster rappers, you’ll enjoy the hidden track, but if you enjoy Puddle of Mudd and music in that genre, do not expect to like it. Once is more than enough to give you a headache.

All in all, this CD is one to pick up off the rack if you have a bit of extra cash you want to waste and you feel like listening to a mid-level band do their own thing.

Copyright 2006 Metropolitan Community College