The debut full-length from these cheeky ocks is a bitter pill to swallow, and I'll tell you why. First off, there are ironically-used keyboards that grant the music a happy, poppy feel amidst all the metal. Second, the vocals are so forced that they seem comical and goofy. Third, most of their song titles are taken from RL Stine's Goosebumps, which is a kiddie horror book series. You can't forget the obvious play on words that the band's name emits. If that's not a groaner, I don't know what is.

I'm going to take this opportunity to inject some of my own personal artistic opinions when it comes to music like this. Have fun with your music. Make music that you love. Be serious about your music. Dr. Acula strikes me as being serious about fun first, and then concerned about making a decent record second. If you have the talent to write and play music, why take it as a joke? On the other side of the argument, I'm glad that this band is having some fun. Too much of metal is overly-serious and severe to the point of self-parody. Why can't a band just exist as a parody without the silly tough-guy demeanor? It depends on what mood you're in.

Let's get back to the music.

The aforementioned vocals have an extremely high shriek approach with a huge, audible inhale after every sentence. They're very unpolished and raw. There are also plenty of silly, horrible-sounding pig squeals and carnival barker-esque speaking. It was very annoying at first, but since it's the vocalist's own style, I'm giving it some leeway. The guitars love to shred, then do a thunderous breakdown at the drop of a hat. The drummer, however, is very talented. He's very skilled and tight when it comes to what he's doing, which is blasting most of the time. They are my favorite aspect of the band, by far. Our friend the keyboard is featured on most of these songs with some intentionally stupid-sounding club ditties and synth-pop fills. I could really do without it. There are also plenty of samples and some gang vocals, too. . . in case anyone was wanting to know what else this group could possibly throw in to become even sillier.

At its core, Dr. Acula is a metalcore band that doesn't take itself -or its music, for that matter- all that seriously. The production is very nice, surprisingly, so you won't miss any big nuances. This would be fun to put on at social gatherings; give it a good once-over and decide if it's your thing. It's not for everyone, but bands like this do have a burgeoning, niche market, so I have no doubt that they will solidify their place in the coming year or so. Hey, it's different?!

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