9Electric – “Megalith” (Pavement)

After getting off to an inauspicious start with forgettable opener “No Evil,” 9Electric’s Megalith quickly rounds into form the further you delve into it. “God and Man,” one of the album’s best tracks, starts a solid run of tunes, including a unique take on Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want To Be,” which might just be worth the price of admission on its own. “Stand In The Fire” is another one of Megalith’s better tracks, thanks in large part to a strong hook anchoring things. Lead single “The Light” finds Butcher Babies’ Carla Harvey delivering a stirring duet with frontman Ron Underwood, creating something truly memorable in the process. “Dark Matter” is a great hard rock song in the vein of Janus or Heart-Set Self Destruct with heavy riffs and immersive vocals, and 9Electric sends Megalith out of a high note with the one-two tandem of “Dragging Me Down” and “Outta Control,” a pair of accessible rock tracks, a phase that could be used to describe the majority of this album. There are a few standouts moments on Megalith, but the album is mixed bag overall.

Go Download: “God and Man”