Planets - Adema

For a region so rich in sunshine and skin, Southern California is filled with angry young men. When Adema unleashed its brutal but melodic brand of alternative metal in 2001, fans of Staind, Korn, and Tool rose to the occasion, buying enough copies of the self-titled debut to see it achieve gold status. By 2004, lead singer Mark Chavez -- he's the younger half-brother of Korn's Jonathan Davis -- had left the group, a move that split fans in half. New vocalist Luke Caraccioli is more subdued than Chavez. Utilizing a fluid croon that dutifully conveys emotional resonance but shies away from the screams and explosive outbursts that defined the band's previous work, Caraccioli further cements the band's trek from beefy nu-metal doomsayers to angst-filled, mid-tempo, Evanescence-esque (say that five times in a row) radio rockers. While killer riffs and tight melodic choruses do occur ("Shoot the Arrows" and "Enter the Cage"), the bloated, 16-track run time of Planets renders the good stuff less effective. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide