This is not punk rock. It has nothing to do with punk rock. Take your "I thought this was punknews.org ROLFKTHXBAILOLXEROX!!!!!oneone" comments to another thread, thanks.

Fireball Ministry play a brand of southern metal reminscient of Wiseblood-era Corrosion of Conformity, or Down without the Anselmo scream. Vocalist/guitarist James Rota II sounds like a gruffer Donnie Van Zant, while Emily Burton plays one of the heaviest fem guitars I've heard in a long time. The drumming of John Oreshnick is nothing spectacular, but he's always on time, and doesn't try to get cute, which, in all honestly, is the bane of modern metal, anyhow. Bassist Johnny Chow (Systematic), added right before this album was recorded, delivers crunchy grooves that any dirty south group would be glad to call their own. That these guys are from L.A, by way of Cincy, doesn't make a goddamn bit of difference. They would own if they were from Maine.

The album Their Rock Is Not Our Rock produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Superdrag), begins with "It Flies Again." A single guitar lead-in, followed by drums and bass, let you know where the band is going. The second track, "Sundown," is probably the best song on the album. Rota gruffly quips, "Listen for sounds of the dark ones / Spreading the fear they instill / A lifetime of pain is upon us / Never control a man will," before changing to a softer voice for the chorus of, "Sundown / Raise a fist to all before us / Rundown / Steel and sin were all they gave / Comedown," over vaguely Sabbath-esque guitars.

The problem with this album is that after 5 songs or so, it starts to drone. Hopefully on newer releases, there will be a bit more diversity, without too much of a change in the sound. That being said, Fireball Ministry is still better than 85% of the dreck in the modern metal scene.