Unfortunately, listening to this debut release from COUNTERIGNITION seemed like more of a chore than it should have been. Now don't get me wrong, they're a talented band, and moments of brilliance do shine through on "Spit Or Swallow", but as a whole, it just doesn't do much for me. It lacks something that makes it memorable.

They're described as being a Thrash/Groove band, and I think they're probably closest to PANTERA in style. The members of this band are good musicians, with some excellent riffs sprinkled around. The album has a mixture of heaviness and brutal vocals as well as slightly slower, more emotional tracks (well, as emotional as a Thrash band can get). Lead singer Aleksandar Krchulj definitely sounds better when he's growling, rather than when his vocals are clean. It's not that he's a bad singer; I just think that the cleaner parts feel a little out of place. Unfortunately, this is indicative of the album of the whole, there are parts that are out of place, and it feels a bit sloppily put together. "Spit Or Swallow" gives me the impression that they've had a deadline for completing it, and they've rushed when putting it together.

But COUNTERIGNITION sound as if they have a lot of potential. When they're good, they show a lot of promise. The guitar and bass work of Krchulj, Kosovac, and Djukanovic is to a very high standard, as is the drumming of Matic. Unfortunately (I keep using this word, I know), the production values don't quite match the musical standard, and it doesn't sound all that brilliant. But I have to keep emphasizing the fact that they are not a bad band, I just don't think they've represented themselves in the best way here.

The rating I gave this is very telling, in that it has potential. Because COUNTERIGNITION have plenty of this, and I feel that given the right circumstances, they could produce something of a much higher quality.