Not what I was expecting from a band named "Speed X". This is not speed metal or next-generation technical Racer X, but something much closer to Ozzy's Zakk Wylde era (not too surprising, since guitarist Nick Catanese was a founding member of Wylde's Black Label Society) with some hints of heavy Scorpions and Tesla - - sans the ballads.

At their heaviest, you could draw a line between Speed X and Megadeth's more commercial stuff. Vocalist Jason Fowler might object to the comparison, but he reminds me at times of Sebastian Bach's "Slave to the Grind" persona.

The lyrics are noticeably hokey ("I wish I could fly high/ way up in the sky/ that would be all right"), but whatever. This is not bad, straight-ahead hard rock, but it doesn't do much for me. Compositionally, the songs are pretty safely constructed, devoid of any chances or any memorable hooks; the note selection is always pretty predictable. If you set the bar a little lower, though, then this is a passable album of inoffensive rockers. I think a bit of attitude infusion could have gone a long way to improve this album, but it's just not there.

Speed X do score points with a good choice of obscure cover tunes. Not many will even remember Sly Fox's 80s synth hit, ‘Let's Go All the Way’, but these guys have converted it to a fun hard rock song. That's really the only standout track for me.