MAXMILLION is a three-piece from San Diego that reunites Bobby Ferry and Jason Corley, both former members of L.A.’s doomcore specialists, 16. Musically, the band doesn’t stray far from the crusty FUDGE TUNNEL meets HELMET sound perfected by Ferry’s former outfit. But this time around he also steps up to the mic as MAXMILLION’s frontman in addition to his usual job of providing thick slabs of down-tuned, dissonant riffs. For the most part, his vocal style remains the same throughout the album, bearing a strong resemblance to ZAO’s Dan Weyandt in the process. He does experiment with some clean vocals on the dark, TOOL-inspired “Pure Black” which is easily one of the album’s highlights. “Dilated Eyes”, “Cold Steel, Warm Heart” and album closer, “Designed By The Vultures” provide plenty of heavy riffing, dissonance, and controlled feedback on top of the simple-yet solid, rock-anchor rhythm section of Corley and new comer, bassist Chris Jones. So while the band hasn’t exactly done anything we haven’t heard before, and isn’t necessarily taking any chances, MAXMILLION have nonetheless delivered a strong debut with tight, solid performances from a band filled with potential. (Retribute Records)