And so continues Kiuas' descent into more and more generic song structures and influences. But where the last album was more like a heavy-handed fist to your ballsack, this one is kind of like a one-night stand. It's beautiful at first, with shimmering chords, sparkly choruses and a pristine production, but after a listen or two you just feel kind of dirty and empty listening to it, and soon enough you'll forget even the catchier choruses and the hookier moments like they couldn't wait to leave your head.
Yeah. Yeah, that's about it. This album isn't terrible – in fact it's actually very pleasant to listen to, and the band has composed songs that are aesthetically pleasing as metal can get. But it just doesn't stick with you, and the compositions don't have much substance. I think part of it is the production, which is crystal clear but lacks any kind of punch or bite to the guitars, but it's also just that the songs themselves are not really that captivating, with a lot of bravado but very little to keep you around for future listens.
"Kiuassault" starts things off with storming riffs and some gruffer vocals, but I'll be damned to remember it after it ends, and that's how too many songs here are. The catchier ones, like "The Quickening," have pretty decent hooks but they lack momentum, and the compositions just end up repeating themselves for too long, driving the hooks straight into the ground. And that's pretty much the only two modes of song you get on here, although "Aftermath" and "The Visionary" are pretty good songs.
Yeah. That really sums it up, more or less. Nothing else is really needed. This is one of those albums that sounded pretty good to me at first, but has lost momentum in my playlist with the speed of a rock thrown off the Grand Canyon ever since. Lustdriven is not a bad album, but it is emotionally retarded, and I can't really muster up much of a response to the music here – it leaves me as cold as a Popsicle inside a wintry ice cream truck. Kiuas fans will eat this up but everyone else can sadly ignore it. Maybe next time, guys. Maybe next time.
