Metal Underground.com

The title of Helmet's 2006 album, "Monochrome," is proof that occasionally, there is such a thing as truth in advertising. Sure, Page Hamilton and Chris Traynor deliver some good-to-great guitar work , but the songs tend to blend together, especially when it comes to Hamilton's vocals.

Granted, "Swallowing Everything," the opener, sets things up well, with a thick and heavy, albeit simple riff that's sure to set heads a'bangin'. It's followed up by the disjointed "Brand New," in which Hamilton's vocals feel particularly weak, and then "Bury Me," which repeats the slow-and-sludgy approach to somewhat less effect.

Things improve a bit with the more melodic "Monochrome" (which will be familiar to those who sat through the credits of "Saw III"), which has a nice bluesy swagger, as does the next track, "On Your Way Down."

Regrettably, the next three tracks, "Money Shot," "Gone" and "Almost Out Of Sight" feel pretty interchangeable. After the bit of guitar noodling of "Howl" (which is repeated at the end of "Goodbye"), we get "410," which harkens back to the growl that opened the album and "Goodbye," which naturally concludes things.

It isn't that there's anything particularly terrible about Helmet's "Monochrome," but, apropos to the title, there's precious little that stands out, making for a rather bland listening experience. Helmet fans may get what they're looking for on this one, others will likely find it to be a rather by-the-numbers listening experience.