Las Vegas-based
Adelitas Way's polished, chrome-laden modern rock draws its water from the same angsty, aggro-well as bands like
Hinder,
Godsmack,
Burn Halo,
Avenged Sevenfold, and
Three Days Grace. Bolstered by the admittedly infectious single "Invincible," which wound its way onto the pop culture carousel through TV as the theme song for the weekly World Wrestling Entertainment Superstars show, the band's eponymous debut sizzles with rage, sex, and regret, occasionally veering into "pick yourself up and dust off your coat"-style self-improvement. Founder and lead singer
Rick DeJesus sports a familiar, even-handed set of pipes that can go from full-throated metalcore scream to emo crooning at the drop of a needle, and the band kicks up enough noise to satisfy even the most dogmatic hard rock junkie, but
Adelitas Way's focus is clearly on the commercial side of success, not the artistic, resulting in what feels more like a calling card than a lightning strike. ~ James Christopher Monger