RAVENSCROFT out of Redlands, California may be a newcomer to the scene, but the seasoned hard rockers that comprise the band have no shortage of shredding experience. Usually, a band like this gets nailed down to a given era of rock, a particular moment of sound that effuses through their own music. RAVENSCROFT decided to skip one era and pull inspiration from all of rock over the years. From psychedelic '60s rock to groovy '70s beats to a heavier '80s sound, all topped off with a modern metal essence. Those elements, and more, are all mixed and blended in an experienced way to produce their debut album "See Through."

The first few tracks off of "See Through" are all certified bangers, none more so than their first track "Always Falling." It starts with a heavy pounding bass line that drives forward with the occasional guitar squeal before you are introduced to the powerful voice of vocalist Ralph Buso. He guides the song through a slow, burning melody singing about the ignorance of humanity and being a victim to vice. Buso's voice is rich, punctuating words along the verses, building up layers as it reaches the chorus for a booming effect. There is no lack of emotion, especially near the end of the song as he croons again and again about being dead inside. All throughout the music behind him is creepy, pushing forth the dissonant chords to enhance the dark material of the song.

"Anything" gets off to a bit groovier of a beginning. Each member shows a bit of a lighter touch. Joe Aghassi on the drums kicks off a smooth, simple drum melody that carries along a moving bass line from Devin Baker. Brett Gorke on guitar hops between sustained chords and a light, picking chromatic. Buso eventually comes in softly before it all comes together for one of the best choruses on the album.

"Bed of Nails" is very similar to "Anything," but with a weaker chorus. Overall, the song is a bit harder hitting, relying on lots of synced up hits to punctuate the lyrics. Though I will say, it has one of the best solos on the album from Gorke. Quick, melodic, and moving with the music, Gorke's solo is one of the better elements of the song. Title track "See Through" is another heavy melodic affair, crunching and pounding its way through a pounding verse to an emotional chorus. The more that Buso is featured on this album, the better. His emotional range is incredible, and you feel it every time he howls in anguish or growls in rage. He gives off strong Matt Barlow vibes, which, in my book, is definitely a good thing.

Their final song, before some remixes of their previous tracks, is a cover song of "Head Like A Hole," originally by NINE INCH NAILS. Thematically, this choice makes sense for RAVENSCROFT as their tone and lyrical content match up with NIN perfectly. For the most part, this is a great cover. RAVENSCROFT is very faithful to the original song, but they blend in enough of their own style that it's not just an identical rehash. Once again, Buso carries the song, really pushing the emotions to the max and howling through some of the rougher moments of the song.

There are countless bands that I could name whose influence is present in "See Through" by RAVENSCROFT. As a hard rock, alternative metal production, I would expect nothing less. The goal is to create an album with a collection of great songs. More than anything, a band like this is one that I would want to see live and performing for a crowd. If their energy from the album translates to the live stage, then they are sure to be a memorable act.

Favorite Songs: "Anything," "Head Like A Hole"