10 Years' Division: An Ambitious Musical Effort

There's a lot of people who thumb their collective noses at mainstream rock right now. Formulaic bands such as Theory of a Deadman, Nickelback, Hinder and countless others have permeated our airwaves with tracks that are as downright unoriginal as they are infectious. Does this mean that they're doing a bad job? Hardly.

What it does, however, is turn people off the radio and whatever they could discover on your local rock station. Thankfully, for every "Photograph" or "Lips of an Angel," we have a song or two that escapes and leaves people to discover the brilliant mainstream rock you can still find. This leads me to this review of 10 Years' sophomore effort, Division. The band behind 2006's quiet little success "Wasteland" have returned with a more ambitious effort than their last one, which says quite a bit considering that the freshman effort was as ambitious as it was excellent.

With a sense of lyrics similar to those written by Incubus and the occasionally invoked Tool, front man Jesse Hasek takes his listeners on a sonic journal through thirteen tracks that are emotional highs and lows, along with the sonic pleasure that you'll take from listening to them. While some tracks are lengthy with their addition to atmospheric instrumentals that transition from song to song, most tracks clock in under four minutes, meaning no song is really overstaying in its welcome. Then again, some readers would wish songs would as beautiful as they are. From the album's fast-paced opener "Actions & Motives", to its finale "Proud of You", the album fails to disappoint. Many people would start by referencing the band's lead single for the album, the scathing indictment of a person lacking inner beauty ironically titled "Beautiful", for where to start with the album, but that wouldn't do it justice. Starting from track one and going to all the way to the end gives you a far more satisfactory listen into an album that will be well worth every second you spend on it.

Of course, there's the obvious drawback that this is mainstream rock. While they stand out from their peers, there are sure to be similarities that will turn off a listener, and that's understandable. Of course, not everything is going to be liked, and it's understandable that not every person would think the same lines as me. However, mainstream rock is successful because there is an audience for it, and there is going to be an audience for 10 Years and this fine album. People who enjoy the softer, less aggressive side of Tool, Chevelle, and the Deftones are going to find this album to be outstanding and worth several replays, and they are sure to attract many more listeners with their turn on this summer's Projekt Revolution tour with Linkin Park, Atreyu, and several others. For now, this album is the perfect jumping point for those who wish to be acquainted with the band before they go see them on this tour and for people who have yet to discover them. For the previous 10 Years listeners who have enjoyed them through the two releases featuring Hasek as the lead singer (Killing All That Holds You and The Autumn Effect), this will be just the thing to add to your MP3 player.

Rating: A-