Waterface

Phoenix-based rockers Waterface makes its debut with the mediocre, 10-track album, Seven Days. \nAs ushered in by co-producer and mixer Tim O'Heir (Folk Implosion), the album is an odd hybrid of styles. This is good in that Seven Days defies categorization, but the eclectic nature of the disc inevitably leaves the listener yearning for clarity and vision throughout.\nSeven Days was mastered by the ever-experienced Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Limp Bizkit), and the sound of the aforementioned acts radiates throughout the record, especially Limp Bizkit. Guitarists Randy Martinez and Oscar Betancourth, bassist Dave Sardegna and drummer Sean Dowdell sound as though they could easily rotate into Limp's lineup. Each member exemplifies skill and proficiency on his particular instrument, lending the band a clean, cool and ultimately rocking sound.\nIf only the vocals were as strong as the instrumentation. Lead singer Jodi Wendt, try as she might, shouldn't be singing with a band of this pedigree or of this genre (hard, guitar-driven rock). Her voice, sounding like a hybrid of Alanis Morrisette and Melissa Etheridge, isn't bad per se, just not suitable for the band in question. She seems better suited to singing Debbie Gibson covers at a mall in North Dakota. Songs begin promisingly and then proceed toward desecration under Wendt's luke-warm vocals; it makes one wonder what the band might sound like if it was still fronted by former lead singer Chester Bennington (Linkin Park).\nSome of Seven Days' tracks are good. "Idle," "Exhale" and the title track are all solid rock tunes containing the album's best vocals and awesome bass lines and guitar riffs. Other tracks such as "Sincerely" and "X-ation" are potentially bad-ass tracks but are bogged down by less-than-stellar vocals. The rest of the album's tracks, while instrumentally sound, ultimately are cloying, repetitive and unoriginal. Those who care little for vocal quality but are keen on deft musicianship might be well served in picking up a copy of Seven Days.