Metal Underground.com

Listening to the New Czars' "Doomsday Revolution" is a bit like trying to pay attention to four different conversations at once. There are times when you can keep track of it all. There are definitely times when you'll hear something cool. But mostly, you'll be lost in a haze of sensory overload.

To be sure, there's plenty of playing ability to be had here. Singer/guitarist Greg Hampton, who has worked with or produced for the likes of Alice Cooper and Lita Ford. Paul III, on drums, and David Moreno have previously played with the likes of Puddle of Mudd and Pink. And, in the moments when they quiet things down and let the melodies take over, including "Why Do U Have 2 Lie" and the funky "Had 2 Do It," they are quite the tight little trio.

Unfortunately, many of the other tracks are over-busy and, quite frankly, cacophonous. Take, for example, the instrumental "Abstract Prague," which is loaded up with far too many Tom Morello-style guitar-noise freakouts (despite some admittedly excellent Led Zeppelin circa "Physical Graffiti" moments). "Don't Watch Me" and "Keep On Goin'" suffer similarly, with far too much going on in the background, distracting from the melody.

Even many of the quieter songs are simply too busy to keep track of. Hampton's vocal melodies on "Time Stops," for example, are quite pleasant, but the instrumentation, ranging from keyboard flourishes to wah-wah guitar and sitar noises is distracting and, quite frankly, disjointed.

The New Czars aims for the avante garde on "Doomsday Revolution," but overly busy production takes its toll on many of the tunes. The end result is that sensory overload wins out over melody.