Coma - Don't Set Your Dogs On Me

No question these guys rock, but the Polish to English lyrics? These guys need to call Neil Peart and STAT!It's not every day you hear a new band come out of Poland, but here is Coma. Having been around since 1998, I'm surprised I haven't heard of them before now. But an English version of their last album has been released which shows an exciting depth of hard rock inspiration. Now, it's easy enough for any modern rock band worth their salt to make heavy riffs and layer on some attitude. But where Coma sets itself apart from the pack is their ability to make very singable tunes that are still ballsy.

Coming off a bit like a cross between King's X and Stone Temple Pilots, these guys know how to rock a tune. The whole album has a really great groove. From the dirty bottom end ably laid down by Rafal Matuszak (surely influenced by Dug Pinnick's meaty bass sound) to the heavy, funk-tinged guitar duo of Marcin Kobza and Dominik Witczak. Meanwhile, I give props to vocalist Piotr Rockucki who has a great voice that sounds like a cross between Scott Wieland and Scott Stapp. 

Now, I fully recognize that English is not these guys' first language, but the only place this band goes wrong for me at all is in the translated English lyrics that hopefully sound much better in their original language. How bad can it be? Check out the opening words of Furious Fate: "Sitting in a coffee shop/sipping a chocolate shake/What are you thinking about?/Where's your smile?" The second verse is no better: "I got a bunch of daisies/I've brought a box of sweets/Now you have to tell me everything." All of which leads in to the chorus "Hey, where do your demons come from, tonight?" 'Nuff said?

The Bottom Line: For a nice departure from the sound of most American metal, check out Polish rockers Coma and their English language debut, Don't Set Your Dogs On Me. Their King's X meets Stone Temple Pilots (with a dash of Sevendust for flavor) heavy sound just may do the trick for you.

Tracks That Might Make You Consider Some Leather Pants Off of eBay: With You, Furious Fate, and Don't Set Your Dogs On Me

- Genghis would *not* get along well with leather pants and frosted hair...