Sweepingly powerful yet distinctly refined, Long Island quartet Wellwood Carbon are by far the area's best kept secret, but not for long. While the scene around them panders to acts which play the kind of disposable drivel and pop-star rubbish you can purchase in any mall in America, the sonic lashings given out by this band leave are not only a backlash against the system, but will leave indelible marks on your subconscious as well.

This seven-track offering combines sinewy, moody grooves like "Umbrella" and "Lupus" with the kind of anthemic importance not heard since the mid '90s heard on the album's most emotional track "Gently", all the while retaining the aura of relevance that even some of today's most proficient bands have a tough time keeping afloat. Wellwood Carbon is a heavy band, yet within crushing riffs and bombastic percussion lie tender melodies with lyrical hooks that scream for football stadium amplification. Like an ocean wave, Wellwood Carbon's musical might gains momentum by the inch, before completely submersing you, allowing you to wash away alongside the mammoth grooves.