Posted: May 12th, 2008
Contributed By: Nick

	Purchase @ Amazon.com Release Date: May 13, 2008 via Koch Records
	Under the Flood is: Dave Nadolski (Vocals) Matt Nadolski (Guitar) Brandon Sidebottom (Guitar) Kenn Davis (Bass) Justin Hayden (Drums)

Overview: Under the Flood was first unified in early 2005 in Charlottesville, Virgina to be exact. Led by a tandem of brothers in Dave and Matt Nodolski, the band was put together carefully, until the boys felt all the pieces were aligned. After seasoning themselves by playing local shows locally, as well as venturing out on several tours, Under the Flood hit the studio to record a full-length album. Produced by Daughtry guitarist Brian Craddock and mixed by the notable Skidd Mills, Under the Flood had in their hands a fresh, new album which they entitled ‘The Witness‘. Without a label, the band got behind their craft and hit the road, peppering venues up, down and all around the U.S. In late 2007, Koch Records came calling and gave the thumbs up to release ‘The Witness‘ to national retail outlets on May 13, 2008. Catch Under the Flood on Cage Rattle’s Most Wanted Tour with Nonpoint, Deepfield, and The Exies this spring.

The Good: Although Under the Flood is arguably a band still in its infant stages just breaking ground with their debut offering, the band shows uncanny amounts of maturity and poise with ‘The Witness‘, starting with the monstrous, sweeping disposition of “In Vain”, whose roaring chorus is soothed gracefully by sparkling layers of harmony and melody. Title track “The Witness” is effective, a suave amalgam of grinding guitars and robust verses that proves the veteran sounding Under the Flood from track one was no fluke. “Open Me Up” is a rugged clip, but the band slyly irons out all the rough edges as the song plays on, culminating in a stellar vocal exposition courtesy of Dave Nodolski. Trust Company would have loved to have the ethereal “Remedy” back in its heyday, where crafty and pinpoint dynamics create a multi-faceted blend of soaring choruses and stern, meaningful vocals. Although the placement of “Remedy” insinuates an upcoming mellow moment, Under the Flood makes an ass out of you and me with “Blown Away”, as the band storms through three and a half minutes of hearty, no frills rock. ‘The Witness‘ throttles back for the ghostly “Halos”, a song with doleful, yet spirited verses that will urge you to ponder and reflect, propped up by chugging choruses to give it some spine. Under the Flood rages on with the driving and gritty “Signs”, bolstered by a slow-roasting groove that keeps cooking until the end, as well as an arsenal of curveballs thrown by the band to keep you alert and on your toes. ‘The Witness‘ snuffs out the towering flames of the bulk of the album’s previous tracks and shines with a bright, but gentle flicker with the piano and vocal ensemble entitled “Endless”; highly passionate and inspired, the bold “Endless” is given real character by Dave Nodolski’s perfectly timed vocal approaches, carefully restraining and belting his pipes effortlessly and at times outshining The Exies’ Scott Stevens. Under the Flood blows a kiss goodbye with “The Bottom”. The band teases you early on, but the calculated introduction paves way for a song that fearlessly laces up the album, filling in any gaps leftover and leaving the listener with no qualms or question marks. A first album band with a multi-album sound, Under the Flood’s ‘The Witness‘ is a quintet ahead of its time.

The Bad: While ‘The Witness‘ clearly demonstrates Under the Flood have chops both musically and lyrically, the band becomes too comfortable in its niche, denying the album of innovation and restricting themselves from being too exploratory. Although the sound unveiled by the band on ‘The Witness‘ is somewhat refreshing, it begins to lose its luster after a few laps, coming across as a tad monotonous with successive listens. The only real miss on ‘The Witness‘ is “Stranded”, but the song comes after one of the disc’s pinnacles in “Halos”, not only falling short on its own, but helplessly bruising the canvas of “Halos”. The biggest cavity for ‘The Witness‘ goes back to the issue of uniformity, as it proves a paradox of my opinion of Under the Flood’s sound. Despite being a band that comes across as mature and above that of other fledgling peers of a similar ilk, ‘The Witness‘ tires too rapidly, unfairly and without a doubt unintentionally draining the luster out of songs like “Endless” and “Halos”; this is an all too common mistake I have noticed on rookie albums, as Under the Flood leaves dents on ‘The Witness‘ in regards to audible urgency and creativity where they could have easily left craters.

Bottomline: Under the Flood have a rock solid leg to stand on with ‘The Witness‘, as this ten track opus allows the band to not only seamlessly implant themselves into today’s modern rock circuit, but also have a louder voice as a debuting band than many others trying to be heard. A bounty of melody, attentiveness to dynamics, and a keen approach to verse and chorus flow and structuring give ‘The Witness‘ a chance, masquerading commonplace glitches and faults behind consistency and balance. Sure, Under the Flood’s first affair loses steam after several plays, but the ‘The Witness‘ is just palatable enough to taste, even after the initial burst of flavor has dissipated. Under the Flood might not drop too many jaws with ‘The Witness‘, but the band has birthed a healthy rock album with all ten fingers and toes that is already walking and talking where many others would still be crawling.

Rating: 7 out of 10