What's that line about judging books and covers? Because from the outside this looks a real mess. The Beauty Of Suffering might be the debut release from hard-rocking Cincinnati types Another Tragedy but that's no excuse; everybody knows a duff album cover when they see one. And this sepia-toned effort, conjuring up all sorts of ugly, low-brow, low-budget, nu-metal images, is a doozey. Which only makes what's hidden inside it all the better to hear.

Far from any silly Durst-inspired crashing about, this is an ambitious and stylish, multi-textured and multi-faceted album, that's full of pleasant surprises. Around a heavy rock heartbeat there are snarling riff attacks ('Broken' opens with the sort of pent up rage usually reserved for the hardcore set), huge arena-bound choruses ('Ten') and even acoustic-led ballads ('Headcase' could be an Incubus outtake). It shouldn't really work but everything is done with so much care and skill that, occasional slips into Nickelback territory aside, it never misses a beat.

The players here make everything work, classic sounding rockers like 'Nowhere Anthem' and powerful slow-burners like 'The Healing' alike. Guitars spit and slide and scream with equal flair, the big beats always fill and fit and singer Johnathan Chapman clearly possesses a mighty set of lungs. There are even some subtle electronic shenanigans buzzing about too. It's mostly inventive and original stuff, both qualities lacking from much alternative music at the minute, and, if your faith in rock and metal has been shaken recently, this is truly more than enough to reconfirm it. In short, look past that ugly cover because this is too good to ignore.

Rating: 4/5 by Simon T Diplock

Tracklisting

1. Broken (P.C)
2. Ten
3. The Cold Space
4. Nowhere Anthem
5. The Healing
6. Spin The Ring
7. Nothing Left
8. In Too Deep
9. Headcase
10. Confidence

Further links

Another Tragedy.net

Official site of the Cincinatti band