BOBAFLEX

Anyway you slice it these guys are a riot. You may have caught BOBAFLEX on Dave Mustaine's Gigantour. You can also check out brothers Marty and Shaun McCoy's (as in Hatfields and McCoys…seriously) West Virginia band in all their style-mixing glory on album number two, "Apologize for Nothing".

References to SYSTEM OF A DOWN and DISTURBED seem to get thrown around a lot when it comes to assessments of the BOBAFLEX sound. I guess I can see the former comparison, based on both an aversion to sticking to one time signature and the vocal changeups, but I'm not sure I'd recommend the band as an automatic for SOAD fans. As for DISTURBED, pick any band that's even remotely associated with nu-metal (based on a certain guitar tone and "modern" delivery) and you'll have yourself a lazy comparison. The fact of the matter is that BOBAFLEX seek to write songs that you'll not soon forget, and if they can keep themselves and the listener from getting bored with the arrangements, then all the better. If nothing else, this batch of tunes will keep your head bobbing and your toe tapping, and none of it is self-indulgent.

Where the band really shines is in the vocal department. Both McCoys are credited with lead vocals (and guitars),while bassist Jerod Mankin, drummer Tommy Johnson, and guitarist Mike Steele also have vocal credits. A CLUTCH-ish gruff vocal is used to great effect on straight-ahead, catchy rockers like "Six Feet Underground". The family-friendly "Bright Red Violent Sex" is one instance where you'll recognize the quirky SYSTEM OF A DOWN style, while "Family" features parts that aren't unlike what you'd hear from BARENAKED LADIES, the latter sporting one of the better mixes of gruff vocals, shouts, and harmonies.

And believe me, no two songs sound alike and all are entertaining. The hilarious "Better than Me" is another tough, southern-style rocker (with a serious ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY riff),but the band can't help but toss in clean vocal bits and a somewhat BEATLES-esque mid-section. I crack up every time I hear the opening lines to the tune: "So I've been with a prostitute / I've been on meth for a week or two / there's a teenage girl, she's fuckin' high on drugs / I think she's driving my truck" (that's funny, right?). "Got You Trapped" continues down that same rockin' road, again mixing time signatures along the way. Thing turn a little rappy on "Turn the Heat Up", a hot groover with a simplistically catchy chorus that eventually turns to up-tempo rocker. A little RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS funk makes an appearance on "Don't Lie Down with Dogs", a tune that (along with "Bullseye") features rapid-fire vocal outbursts.

"Apologize for Nothing" is a rockin' good time that never gets boring. It's also a breath of fresh air.