The Crash of 47

Referencing the alleged alien UFO crash near Roswell, NM, Atomship's The Crash of '47 is pretty unique compared to most of its contemporary hard rock peers. Most of that is due to the vocal approach of Joey Culver, who has a clear, powerful voice that at times sounds like an amalgam of Ozzy Osbourne, José Feliciano, and Brandon Boyd. Speaking of the latter, the alluring, acoustic "Withered" is a dead ringer for Incubus, but Atomship's vibrant riffs and thumping rhythms are most often at work, propelling the forceful, Creed-like roll of "Day of Daze" and the melodic, System of a Down-derived crunch of "Aliens." The group is most distinct on the intricate "Mothra," where an intricate, percussive, Rush-like arrangement makes Atomship sound like today's answer to prog rock. Like it or not, this is a talented band with a promising future.