Turn the Tides
38th Parallel
Squint

38th Parallel doesn't lend itself towards being pinned to any one particular genre. They're hard rock with a little lemon twist of rhymes, hip-hop, and popish melodies. The style does tend to lean more towards that of PAX217, Pillar, or P.O.D.

The fluctuations start with "Hear My Cry", a heavy-metal rap mixed with melodious variations. Then "Turn the Tides", a high speed rap head banger, and "Higher Ground," which is more top 40-ish. Lyrically, "Turn the Tides" does a fine job of delivering their messages quite systematically. However I found myself seeking through most of the CD looking for that driving beat that "Hear My Cry" hammered in at it's open.

I'll be waiting for the sophomore release to make any real conclusions, but it may have been more beneficial for the band to stay Indi for a while, to work on things, rather than seeking out a "big-time" record deal so soon. I say this only because I worry what kind of hole the industry may try to put this peg into... time will tell.

-Ken W.