On Violence & Destruction, the debut from alt-metal revivalists
Islander, the South Carolina band deliver an album that feels like an homage to the titans of the genre. With obvious touchstones like
Deftones and
P.O.D., songs like "Coconut Dracula" deliver that classic blend of passion and fury, merging driving and heavy guitars with the weary vocals that evoke the talents of the legendary
Chino Moreno. Although this kind of metal has become a dying art, it's clearly one that
Islander have a genuine love for, and that reverence comes through loud and clear on every song. Now that the band have written their love letter to alt-metal, it'll be interesting to see where they go from here, but until then, Violence & Destruction makes for a promising introduction to one of the genre's first new voices in a long time. ~ Gregory Heaney