Metal Underground.com

The pursuit of perfection goes too far on Egypt Central's "White Rabbit." Glossy and over-produced, the album has an almost mechanical feel to it. The songs are rock radio rotation-ready, but most of the soul has been polished right out of them. It's regrettable, too, because the disc's best moments, such as the partly acoustic "Goodnight" have an almost Foo Fighters feel, with a combination of undeniable heaviness and pop sheen.

John Falls' vocals are the main offender when it comes to being over-produced. Tracks like "Blame" (at least in the verses) and the acoustic "Backfire" show that he's a capable vocalist, so I'm not sure why it seemed necessary to drown him in background vocals. Also, when combined with the over-emphasis on guitar effects, he sounds downright digital on tracks like "White Rabbit," "Down In Flames" and "Surrender."

I will say that the lush approach does work for "Dying To Leave," which also features an interesting guitar line from Jeff James. Also, when the band roughens things up near the end of "The Drug (Part 1)," with some screaming vocals, it does create an interesting contrast in sounds.

Still, this album is simply too slick for its own good. With most the edges polished off, there's little memorable material for a listener to grab onto on Egypt Central's "White Rabbit."