Former Zao members Jesse Smith and Rob Horner have come together with clean heads to form Gods. The group, aside from easily being labeled as metal, shows no ground for a comparison to metalcore stalwarts Zao. Instead, Gods' debut I See You Through Glass feels like commercial radio's answer to the recent surge of metal in the independent scene, standing somewhere between Creed and Avenged Sevenfold.

Album opener "If The Bet Is Love I Fold" sounds like Bam Margera's poster band HIM settling on redundantly clichéd lyrics. I should not act so surprised by the verbal content behind the music, with song titles like "The Devil's Tears," "5 Steps To Fame & Fortune," and "Love Is A Blister," which contains this stellar line: "Young ones soon you'll see / you will live this life on your knees / your spirits pushed beneath / as your heart begins to bleed."

Nearly every track sheds an airy, atmospheric tone. The fuzzy layer is challenging to ignore and presents the record blending fashion where each song sounds the same, simply being strung together by uninteresting intros and conclusions. The music alone tends not to expand beyond anything that has been played on the stages of Ozzfest over the past few years: Boring rock and metal clichés, from the double bass to the non-experimental chug of the guitar.

On the previously hinted at "5 Steps To Fame & Fortune," the song features segments that sound as if the record is skipping; this was the nail in the coffin for me. I ejected I See You Through Glass from my computer and shattered it. As shards of CD shrapnel flew around my room, I smiled knowing that no one could ever hear this atrocious attempt at music again.