Guitarist Chris Poland creates dark hues with his guitar-shaped paint brush and core team of Bill Dickens/b, David Taylor/g, Jim Gifford/dr along with cameo guests Kevin Woods Guin/b, Albert Caldwell/org and vocalists Rhymefest and Felicia Patton. Many of the pieces have a heavy and nor metallic feal, such as the 70s-ish “The Kid”, the drumming with thunder Deep Purple’d “I Have No Idea” and the Wishbone Ash’d “Den”. Rhymefest brings in rich and honey’d soul voice to the shadowed “Battle Bots” and Patton adds texture to the first of Mediterranean beats on the lovely “The Journey” with the team most cheerful on “Next One”. A take of MJQ’s classic “Django” is worked out creatively with the band floating in a rich lithe cadence on Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage”. Modern metal musings.