I See Stars

By now the whole screamed-vocals-plus-emotive-lyrics-over-a-melodic-breakdown thing has been pretty much done (and overdone). And yet bands like I See Stars still exist, plugging away at a formula already perfected by the hordes of acts before it. The Michigan group’s full-length debut, 3-D, attempts to re-envision the entire sound, however, by incorporating a number of seemingly contrasting elements into it—electronic blips, classical orchestration, and a guest vocal spot by Bizzy Bone—and the results are mixed. It’s an earnest attempt at genre-hopping and modern innovation—too bad it’s nothing new.

Updated 01/19/2011