Those who have never heard of AFTERGLOW, please raise your hand. AFTERGLOW is a young 5-piece rock band from Italy, and with their debut self-titled album, they are hopeful to turn the tide. Before listening to this album, I advise you to keep an open mind for what you're about to read.

"Afterglow", an album that can only be described as a grunge-meets-punk attempt, initially starts off with an interesting diversion from a heavy appetizer to a mellow progressive dessert. One may only relish upon such twists, and may be fascinated to hear the rest. Although that has been heard at the initial take, you can bet the next tracks to come will differ from the first.

Ten minutes have passed and the listener is expected a dissonance. One which will carry the sound produced by young AFTERGLOW to a different fairytale. The third track "Time", is most likely the most intuitive the band will get in the record. AFTERGLOW made sure we will remember rock begins and ends at metal music. Words fall short, as following tracks will not grant us the sensation to feel metal in the album again.

AFTERGLOW may have sunk with their heads under, though. The music itself feels uninspired and bogged down at times, which makes the binge listening more difficult with every passing track, as your ears begin to strain.  Things don't get much better when a more devoted listener pays attention to the lyrics. Okay, this may be a young rock band at its dawn, but they will fail to impress the critics, naming songs like "Go Fuck Yourself".

The bottom line? It's an album that was made by young rockers, for young rockers. It may never appear in a metalhead's collection, but it's a beginning to aspire for, and given the right amount of devotion and production, AFTERGLOW may just be the name on the lips of millions of young rockers worldwide.