Despite the apparently political connotations of this record, Alien Ant Farm truly relies on the interesting and conflicting relationship between contemporary alternative metal and sentiments of life and fantasy. Constructed on the premise of establishing emotion through music, ANThology essentially is emotions and aesthetics for the insecure, creating a barrage of power-driven riffs overlaid with instances of vulnerability and the typical and ambiguous questions of the self.

As a record, it serves as an example of production and layout. The sound is consistent, and the transitions and leads between tracks lay a solid, developed foundation. Perhaps the biggest standout on this record is “Summer,” where lead singer Dryden Mitchell’s lyricism and the band’s ability to establish the critical chorus stands out and really individualizes itself from the rest of the album. Simple and direct, it overcomes the rest of the album’s repetitiveness and lack of originality.

With a replication of “Smooth Criminal” and a desire to fuse musical emotions and political graphics, it’s hard to tell this band’s focus. Alien Ant Farm can consider itself a band with a multi-faceted, open approach to music in an art where opinion and standpoint need to be established.

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