Jud - Sufferboy

With a less-than-subtle approach to guitar, Bright White Light starts thick and loud, the faintly distorted vocals and dense production reminiscent of Richard Patrick's Filter. Drained is a compelling second track, with a well-considered drum line preventing it from falling into the cliched traps that later numbers succumb to. With the exception of the enjoyably unconventional ballad and third track Universal things get progressively more meat-headed, as Jud concentrate too much on power chords and forget to inject innovation into the mulch. The Maggots is a slightly directionless slice of MOR crooning and What Are You Made For promises much with a horrid riff and righteous chorus, but the verse vocals are poor. Sufferboy certainly kicks off the blocks well enough, but leaves too little in the way of ideas in reserve and ultimately crosses the finish line in the unremarkable midst of a grungey, featureless pack. [Chris Cusack]