Group Therapy
by Johnny LoftusDope's third full-length appears through Recon, an N.Y.C. upstart affiliated with frontman Edsel Dope through management ties. In addition to producing Group Therapy, the dreadlocked kingpin directed and/or conceived of videos for each of the album's 13 songs, including them here as DVD add-ons. The bulk of additional content is a nice touch, and should be appreciated by the group's core fan base. And Group Therapy is much stronger than 2001's flawed Life. Unfortunately, its overdriven, incessantly processed hard rock sound is still a derivative of industry leaders like Korn, and largely indistinct from its aggro-metal peers. The formula is familiar. Pounding, hard-charging percussion and rumbling, near atonal guitars are garnished with the occasional electronic flourish to form a base for Edsel's guttural yawp and rudimentary singing. He utilizes both on the obstinate "I Am," which crosses emotive Linkin Park-style verses wit...