Girth

This band is better known for being the Ohio based thrash band that was once fronted be the ultra talented Tim "Ripper" Owens. As many people know, a live performance with this band taken from a VHS bootleg was responsible for Tim getting the frontman positon in Judas Priest. Its obvious how much of an impact a single member can have on a band since their first full length album was infact an amazing album with some incredibly executed vocals.
Girth however, falls somewhat short of the bands debut and is not nearly as memorable as with the original line-up. Released in 1997, the band attempted to carry on without one of their key members and the album suffers greatly. Lou decided to not only play guitar but also to assume vocal duties...obviously not a pair of shoes that can easily be filled.
The album starts off with the best track on the album which is titled C4. A great song with an excellent riff and an awesome chorus that is polished with better than average lyrics. This songs structure is not that far off from Metallica's Sweet Amber. In all fairness to this band however, Metallica's version was released in 2003...so who ripped off who? Exactly!
Anyway this album seems to suffer one of the most prevalent problems in the thrash/power metal genre. The band completely blows their wad on the opening track and the rest of the album is choppy and confusing. Although their are several more decent riffs the album doesn't seem to flow in a fluent manner. As far as the vocals go...its obvious that Lou isn't a singer, and despite the fact that his voice is not totally unbearable, its obvious that his lack of ability affects the overall consistency of the album.
Production is decent for an independant release, but aside from guitar work and the drumming, the album is lacking in actual song structure.
This album is more worthy to be downloaded than purchased.