Herbert

Steppin’ Off to Eden (Fueled Up)
by Brian Varney

Maybe it’s just the recent overload of good heavy rock records, but this doesn’t sound nearly as good as it would’ve three or four years ago. Or maybe it’s just my tendency to be hyper-critical of everything. Though this record unquestionably has its good points, too much good rock has happened in the past year for this to really stand out in any way. I don’t want this to sound like a complete slam, because it isn’t. Herbert has a nice, heavy sound, though they’re lighter on the killer riffs and/or tunes than I’d like. The Ozzy-influenced vocalist does what he has to without really establishing much of a presence. And that, really, goes for the whole band as well. If I sit and try to pick out positive points, they’re obviously present. But if I just sit and listen, I lose interest after a song or two. In other words, the elements of greatness are there, but the execution is tentative. They’ve got the right idea, but they need to lock down a tighter, more forceful attack for it to work. In the meantime, they’re just kinda… there.
(www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Herbert)