Metal Underground.com

Playing a post-grunge pop-metal that will be familiar to Nickelback fans everywhere, the Veer Union has returned with its sophomore album, "Divide The Blackened Sky." Unlike selections I reviewed from the band's 2009 debut disc, "Against The Grain," these tunes appear to have a bit more heft to them, even if they are still on the over-produced side.

The disc begins promisingly, with "Borderline" showing a dose of anger on the part of singer Crispin Earl that does a good job of balancing out the pop sheen. The next track, "The Bitter End," was well-chosen as the album's first single, with some catchy hooks and electronic elements that would feel right at home on modern hard-rock radio (and it should, given that it was produced by Brian Howes, who has manned the desk for the aforementioned Nickelback, as well as Puddle of Mudd and Rev Theory).

Earl has said that the band's hard times in the wake of "Against The Grain," including the fact that they were dropped from their label, are reflected in the heavier feeling of the songs. That goes a long way toward explaining the Alice In Chains-inspired riff that drives the disc's best track, "I Will Remain."

On the other hand, the band still shows a tendency toward featherweight pop on the comparatively treacly "Inside Our Scars," which has Earl saying "I need you to know you've always been the reason that I breathe oxygen" and feels a bit like a love child of Alice In Chains and Journey. "Live Another Day" is also on the light side.

Still, the moments when the band successfully blends heaviness and pop, which also include the title track, as well as the closer, "Stolen," have an electricity to them that is a vast improvement over "Against The Grain."

In creating a radio-ready rock album with more heft than you'd expect, The Veer Union has exceeded their debut with "Divide The Blackened Sky." Still, it's a bit over-produced, and some of the poppier tracks feel a bit too lightweight.