Smile Empty Soul

Smile Empty Soul is a very apt name for this Santa Clarita, California trio. The lyrics of their self-titled debut CD read like the pages of a diary of one incredibly angry young man. I would hate to be vocalist and guitarist Sean Danielson’s parents because there are several tracks on the disc that are filled with teen angst that were meant to really sting them personally. It is striking how "in your face” the negative sentiment on the disc is from the opening seconds of the album. There is no way it can go unnoticed. The dark subject matter has also seemed to affect the final mix of the disc with the deep bass notes courtesy of Ryan Martin at the forefront of the entire disc (except on acoustic tracks "I Want My Life” and the symphony accompanied "This is War”). But there is a true emptiness to this album. The rage overshadows the emotion; the fury eclipses the band. That hollowness has literally sucked the soul from what might otherwise be an attention grabbing performance (case in point, check out the more subtle approach of the kick-ass song "For You”).