2 track sampler from hard hitting Chicago based metal band Ditchwater. Both tunes here boast pounding bass & drums coupled with crunching guitars that all get a production that's superbly crisp courtesy of Chris Dujuric who has recently worked with Soil. What Ditchwater are offering up isn't anything drastically new, it's just that they are extremely good at it!

First up is 'Sacrifice', a strong, solid tune with vocals that put me in mind of Metallica. Having said that, the vocalist can carry a melody very well as can the rest of the band and this gives them a tuneful sound that could well give them a bit of crossover appeal. 'Walk Away' is a real footstomper of a song & I can imagine this getting hair swinging in just about any rock club! Again we get solid guitar riffing, pounding drums & the well carried vocals. The fact they are prepared to add a bit of a tune to their metal riffage gives it a lift above the majority of similar bands.

I would say that if you like bands of the ilk of Soil, Machine Head or any of the Roadrunner Records type bands then this bunch will surely appeal to you. The fact that they have a name producer working with them & a pretty decent looking website (which incidentally gives details of how to help get them on the bill for the US Ozzfest this year), indicates that they perhaps have one eye on being up there with the big boys of rock. I, for one, will not be surprised if they make it.