[3.5/5] From catchy opening track "Mesopotamia" to ambient instrumental finale "Iodine Sky," Cruel Melody epitomizes everything Wes Borland has always been as an artist: unpredictable. Venturing behind the microphone and backed by a studio supergroup including Nine Inch Nails' Danny Lohner and A Perfect Circle's Josh Freese, Borland and Black Light Burns have created a sound completely their own. Borland's vocals are complemented greatly by Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano on "I Am Where It Takes Me" and former From First To Last vocalist Sonny Moore on "Coward." Plus the tracks speak for themselves musically; each song lends itself to progression-starting with the most aggressive ("Lie"), then explaining that aggression ("The Mark"), before ending on a soft note ("New Hunger"). Though a few of the tracks share overlapping musical ideas, Cruel Melody is still interesting, ambient, and much like its creators, unforgettable. (I AM: WOLFPACK) Liz Van Pay
 Official Website: http://www.iamwolfpack.com
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