One of the joys of Rock and Metal music is that you can take an album, or a band, you really like, turn up the volume as loud as you like, and rock out to like crazy. This has usually been the tradition for rockers and metalheads all over the world for many years and will continue for many years to come, but what if say you are a band who decides to take this concept and name a genre after it called Volume Rock? Look no further then VALLEY OF THE SUN, who have done just that.

Hailing from Cincinnati in Ohio in the USA, VALLEY OF THE SUN are a quartet of Rock musicians who, so far, have released three EP's and two studio albums, which include the newest one, which is due for an April 29^th 2016 release on Fuzzorama Records. Remember what I said in my intro about the group coming up with a new genre name called Volume Rock? That just so happens to also be the name of their new album, ironically titled "Volume Rock", and I'm now going to give it a spin and see if it is any good.

The new album from VALLEY OF THE SUN is packed full of what the band calls, Volume Rock. It does seem a bit odd using the same name as the album to describe the music, but you know, to each their own. It starts off with a song called "Eternal Forever", and this one gives you a little insight into what this group is about, as it is chock full of groove-laden riffs and melodies and it doesn't sound too bad for what it is. It's a bit "hit and miss" in a few places, with the melodies and the sound, but it's a solid track.

The remainder of the album's songs however, seem to be a bit varied and very much hit and miss. Some of them are quite long for an album of this type and it's the length that is a problem, because at times, it feels like the songs just drag on with no end. The ones that come to mind are the fourth, fifth and sixth tracks; "Land of Fools", "I Breathe the Earth", and "Speaketh the Shaman" which are all between 5 to 6 minutes long, and for a genre like this, its not really needed. The melodies tend to drag on at times with the long songs, and at times, it does get a little boring.

The other tracks do have their problems. "Beneath the Veil", for example, seems to be a little messy in a few places as the melodies do clash a few times and the vocals are buried underneath the wall of noise from the other instruments, most notably the guitars and drums. This would not be such a problem if there was a little bit of clarity in the overall sound and production, which there is kind of, but for the most part, it's a hit and miss track, and the same can be said for the entire album, as each song has their own fair share of issues.

Bottom line, the new album from VALLEY OF THE SUN is a record that I just found to be very hit and miss at times. Some bits were mildly good, some were okay, and others just were not for me, most notably the longer tracks. Give this one a listen if the idea of it being branded as Volume Rock intrigues you, but if you're a bit wary of how it will sound and play out, maybe avoid it for a little while till you're ready to give it a spin.<