CLUSTERHEAD – Times Of No Trust

Clusterhead, hailing from Germany, is a four-man Metal band that’s been around since 2005 and have put out a couple of demos since their formation. 2008 sees the release of their first full-length album, the 11-song Times of No Trust. The lineup that plays on the 51-minute Times of No Trust is as follows: Rene Brandt, vocals; Frank Stadlbauer, guitars; Andreas Meyer, bass; and Rudiger Tonn, drums.

Clusterhead plays a melodic style of Metal, with lots of solid riffs, big vocal lines, catchy choruses, and decent melodies. Nothing on this disc is really “heavy” in the classic sense, but it’s heavy enough, and might remind some listeners of similar-sounding bands from the late 1980s. Most of the songs could probably get some radio airplay; the atmospheric “Ghosts” in particular has a radio-friendly feel to it.

Times of No Trust is an album that while solid overall, never passes over into “Great” territory. The songs are all generally good, with solid writing, playing, and vocals, but nothing really jumps out as totally amazing. You certainly won’t be bored while listening to Times of No Trust, but at the same time you’ll be hard-pressed to recall individual songs from it once the disc has finished playing.

Still, there are some songs on Times of No Trust that will make an impression on you while you’re listening; once again, this is hardly a bad album. The first three songs – “Tears I’ve Cried,” the title track, and “Made of Stone” – are all well-done, energetic Hard Rock/Metal numbers that get the album off to a good start. “Ghosts” is good too, although it’s a bit slower than the first three tracks. “Poisoned” has a cool riff and a big gang-styled chorus, making it one of the better songs on the disc. “Prediction of a Fight” has a solid riff moving things along, as does “Your Confession;” this song also has a catchy “shout it out” chorus too. Album-closer “Hole In My Heart” is a bit of a hard-edged power ballad with a good solo from Stadlbauer, and it’s decent enough.

So again, Times of No Trust has several good songs but no real great ones. Still, none of the tracks are boring or badly-played. Clusterhead is consistent, if nothing else.

Times of No Trust is a pretty good first effort from Clusterhead, that while not mind-blowing, is good enough to recommend.