Tension (Compact Disc)

Though SoCal rock quintet Dizmas formed nine years back when its members were still in high school, their first album, On a Search in America, didn’t bow until 2005.

The debut was a bit of a muddled mess, with too many hollers and not enough depth. The band was stuck in a rut of wanting to be something they were not, something loud and out of control. But vocalist Zach Zegan’s voice was too weak for that kind of exercise. Add that to lyrics lacking any sort of real depth, and Dizmas wasn’t much to chew on.

With Tension, though, Dizmas has accepted its fate as sound alternative rockers. Its lyrics are occasionally clichéd (see “Play It Safe”), but its almost annoyingly catchy melodies and smooth guitar licks largely cancel out such flaws. Songs like “Jealousy Hurts” call to mind the occasional brilliance of Sanctus Real, while “See Daylight” and “October” begin to prove that Zegan and the others are their own band, one with potential to boot. Hopefully, they will continue to become original in the future. For now, if you like vocalizing, simple lyrical content and a whole lot of guitar feedback, Dizmas is for you.

CHRISTY GORDON

Review Provided by CCMmagazine.com