Sometimes, I am very happy about the music I get sent. Sometimes not so much. The reason doesn't always have to be that it's bad, but could also be that it's going to be tough to fill a review with at least 400 words, as that is the minimum length required here at Metal Temple. Which is understandable, as that gives me as a reviewer enough scope to elaborate as much as I want to describe what I'm listening to, and you, as a reader, get enough information that you can make an educated guess to whether the album reviewed could be to your taste.

As for the sleazy speed rockers (with a punk attitude) CHUCK NORRIS EXPERIMENT, I must commend them as to choosing quite a memorable name. And although I'd never heard of them before, "This Will Leave A Mark" is their 10th album in 18 years, and it's a full on blast of 12 songs in 36 minutes.  Especially the first half just goes like the clappers, without much time for a breath of fresh air. Opener "Dirt Song" is a good first song with some restraint, but that last bit is let go once the second song "Landslide" gets going. And they keep that up for two songs in succession, followed by "In For The Kill" which is at a lower tempo. Then they up tempo again for another three songs.

There's nothing against keeping the pressure up, but it would be nice to have a bit of time to recuperate. The first six songs aren't bad at all, but the lack of variation is just too much. Thankfully the second part of the album offers that in spades, and the consequence is that that part is much more interesting, because you get the experience all kinds of emotions, from very intense, to laid back and from fast to easy tempo. Especially the title song "This Will Leave A Mark"; it's a perfect example of how CHUCK NORRIS EXPERIMENT should sound to me. This is when they are really interesting, impressive even.

The same applies to songs like "Spin It Round", which has a riff that is inspired by AC/DC. That band has also had it's effect on "Devil's Lake", due to its really slow tempo and the way the guitars are used. The following "Bad Blood" is more of a sleaze rock song with a killer riff that has that quality of drawing you in.

The last song on the album is "New Day Rising", and it's the odd one out. It is not a ballad, but it's definitely very heavy without it being a hard rocking song. All together, my conclusion is that CHUCK NORRIS EXPERIMENT has delivered an album that could have been better if they had placed the songs in a different order. Now it's a game of two halves.