I want to be friends with the dudes in Lafcadio. If their record Kibosh is any indication, they're neat-o duders. The album design is set up like a summer fashion catalog, and I'm all about metal guys with awkward facial hair and pastels. Kibosh's song titles ("If Someone Asks You If You Are a God, You Say Yes," "Don't Make Me Fight You, Old Man") hint at a good sense of humor and sexxxcellent music taste. And hey, the tuneskis aren't too bad either.

Kibosh is of the technical hardcore sort, with a bit of proggy wankery thrown in to differentiate the record from your average Botch tribute act. Basically, if you dig 2112 and American Nervoso in equal proportions, you'll fit in fine with these Midwestern men. Eschewing off-kilter rocking for the occasional ambient, but still off-time atmospherics, the record oscillates between two styles for its 28-minute running time. This is for the best. Though I don't deny the group's chops, I find myself bored after a while by the band's rhythms. I'd rather just spin something like the Bouncing Souls on repeat.

But gosh dignity dang do I respect the fellows in Lafcadio. They use sludge, metalcore, prog-rock and straight metaly metal as their dipping sauces, and that's A-OK with me.