On the Verge

A kind of disquieting truth about third-generation alt-metal bands is the fact that they are recycling the sounds of the first-generation groups. Not necessarily a bad thing, but the end result is that the entire genre feels like it's in a bit of a time warp, continually feeding on the ground initially etched out by Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Nirvana. That's the case with Flashpoint's debut album On the Verge, which initially sounds disarmingly like a fusion of Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. Those influences never quite disappear, even upon repeated exposure, but the group's fusion is seamless and fairly appealing. Even if they wear their influences on their sleeves, they have good riffs and a good vocalist in Ollie Luttgenau, which amounts to a solid, even promising debut, no matter how familiar it all can sound.