Nu metal, the latest victim of industry overexcitement, is a genre that was good in principle. Once the labels got done (and apparently, hopefully, they are), the genre was filled with generic groups that seemed to all play the same songs, with the same lyrics. The few bands that made a name for themselves either had gimmicks, sing-along lyrics, great live shows or immense skills that could not be denied.
Dry Cell, a band that got little publicity and airplay other than a track on the Queen of the Damned soundtrack certainly fits into that final category.
The Los Angeles-based group has vocals that range from rap to screams to harmonies, good guitar lines and a solid low end that provides a sounding board for the emotions that comes out of the powerful lyrics.
And the trippiest part of it all is that three of the four band members – guitarist Danny Hartwell, drummer Brandon Brown and bassist Judd Gruenbaum – are still teenagers (lead singer Jeff Gutt is the old man of the band in his mid-twenties).
Disconnected, Dry Cell's first major-label release (Warner Bros.), came out in July and full captures all aspects of the youngster's remarkable skills.
The entire disc is a pleasure to listen to, but stand out tracks include “Sorry“, “Body Crumbles (the aforementioned track on the QOTD disc), “Ordinary” and the title track. A must-listen, Disconnected provides a breath of fresh air in the over-saturated fog of nu metal.
