Kill the Headlights

by

Adema

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Well, after a couple years after Adema's rough release of "Planets", Adema is back with their third lead-singer, as well a great new sound. Unlike "Planets", this is actually Adema at work. Even though the biggest change from "Unstable" was a different singer, "Planets" as a whole was not even close to par with their previous work before the loss of Mark Chavez. But now, with the help of Bobby Reeves, Adema is back.

Oddly enough, "Cold and Jaded", while still an amazing song, was their first single that I heard. But I felt it didn't match up to several other songs on the album, a few being "Brand New Thing", "What Doesn't Kill Us", and "Los Angeles". These are some of Adema's best work to date, with or without Mark Chavez. But the entire album as a whole is very well done, and there's no denying it. Adema took the last album as a learning experiance; they filled in the holes, and the end result is "Kill the Headlights", which in my book, is a flawless album.

Listen number one to the record will have you very impressed with their new singer as well as the new motivation and energy that they have. From what we have here, you wouldn't even think Adema was ever in the slump that they were with "Planets". It simply sounds like Mark left and they immediately picked up where they left off, which is not an easy thing to do. But, Adema has done it, and they're now back on course for even bigger and better things!

To sum up this review for those who can't be bothered to read the whole pointless thing, I will refer to a song that appears on this album by the name of "Brand New Thing." When you pick up Adema's fourth album, are you really getting a brand new thing?

Not really.

Adema's story is a strange one. Making their debut in 2001 with the moderately successful self-titled album, Adema turned heads quickly with their easy to digest nu-metal style and a familiar sounding singer in Jonathan Davis' (Korn) half brother, Marky Chavez. Their sound was like a happy balance between Linkin Park and Korn, but never bothered going any further. In 2003, they followed it up with "Unstable," which proved not only to be a flop, but also the last album to feature Chavez and guitarist Mike Ransom. Down to only three members, Adema recruited the relatively unknown Luke Caraccioli and in 2005, came back with "Planets," and album that marked a departure from the previous sound. More streamlined hard-rock than nu-metal, and a singer who could actually sing! Needless to say, it wasn't really Adema, it didn't really sell, and Luke ditched the band before the year's end. So what are they still doing here?

Not much, really. Although they are more complete and sound more consistent than they have in years, "Kill The Headlights," their fourth album with their third singer, fails to break new ground for the group, just when they desperately need it. Or maybe, they thought, they needed to regain some credibility. Perhaps that's why we get a frontman in Bobby Reeves, who sounds a bit like Chavez and Caraciolli, and a band going through the motions and partying like it's 2001. In all honesty, if you're a fan of the genre, it's a tough album not to like. A bit hollow, yes, but listenable by all means. Reeves has a rather solid voice, and some really bad vocals to boot. The perfect frontman for this band, you could say! Afterall, their music was never much more than sophmoric. So, perhaps, "Kill The Headlights" is as good as it gets. You'll enjoy the first single, "Cold & Jaded," as it is the finest melodic nu-metal we have been given in years, and the other eleven tracks all fall in the same category (a.k.a. sound the same). If you liked Adema before and would like to relive their very brief glory days, this is definitely the album for you. If you are expecting them to grow as a band and change the game, you couldn't be further from home here.