Picket Line – Chapter: End / 2006 Self / 12 Tracks / http://www.picketlinemusic.com / Reviewed 04 May 2006

The mixture of rock and emo music that Picket Line starts off their “Chapter: End” is probably the smartest move that the band can make with their opening salvo. By tying together the two most popular genres of music on the market, Picket Line have shown that they can reach a large segment of the listening audience. The music is not just done to bring listeners to purchase this album, but really is done in a soliud way that is interesting. Even if the music that is contained on this disc is not on the cutting edge, Picket Line is at the head of their class when it comes to creating arrangements and creating interplay between the members of the band.

By the time that Picket Line start off “Dancin’!”, the style of the band has changed considerably. This means that the emo/rock style that opened up the disc shifts during “Dancin’!” to a blend of Tool, Crazy Town, and even Disturbed; the band does not stay locked in the same style throughout the entirety of “Chapter: End”. At some point, the band’s skills are the only constant on this disc; each track brings something completely new to the band’s repertoire. Each of the songs on this album could conceivably have another life in radio play, but the band ensures that there is a solid foundation in which to lay this radio-friendly sound.

Pulling out a harder, grungier sound for “The Black in White”, Picket Line take on the standards of Korn and the aforementioned Disturbed even more, while throwing in a side of Evans Blue for good measure. “The Black in White” is perhaps the first track on this disc that moves away from quite the solid foundation that has been mentioned as being possessed by Picket Line. The track is still great, but it seems to rest on a much more tenuous foundation, one that is almost shaky at times. The one things individuals should focus in on is that Picket Line is trying to do something completely and utterly different with each subsequent track on this disc. There is no chance that individuals will grow weary of the music that the band puts on “Chapter: End”. The band has appeared from nowhere, and this is a great album to start individuals on the path to knowing more about Picket Line. I have no doubt that given the proper push that Picket Line will be one of the next big crop of bands, perhaps burning up the airwaves sometime in 2007 or 2008.

Top Tracks: Mid-Air Narcolepsy, End With This

Rating: 6.4/10

[JMcQ]