Protectors of the Lair

The second Griffin album is just a bit more ordinary than the first, and that's where it suffers somewhat. The first had a really insane mix of deranged production values, over the top screaming, and guitar riffs that came and went in surprising fashion.

This one still has decently good songwriting, but the album just isn't quite as totally insane. Thus, it's merely "solid". The vocals, especially, are far more restrained, and instead of shrieking, William Roderick McKay tries to sing every once in a while - he doesn't do too bad of a job, but it just seems out of place that he doesn't bust out with some nad-piercing destruction in the middle of "Watching from the Sky", for instance.

The songs for the most part are still pretty damn catchy, especially the opening track, "Hunger", which really is NOT called "The Final Command" despite the fact that that's what sticks out most during the chorus. Also, "Truth to the Cross" is very nice, as is "Cursed be the Deceiver", which does feature some nice shrieks.

The lead guitar work is also pretty good here, and the riffs are solid too. Overall a decent album.