From Vancouver with power: this exciting quartet plays bracing, thoughtful hard-rock with strong melodies and a dynamic rhythmic foundation. Not as metallic or intense as labelmates Faith No More, the Sons concentrate on good songs and hypnotic funk grooves that occasionally (mis)lead them into resembling the Cult. A fury of surging runs and lunging chords, bassist Don Binns dominates the sound, giving singer Jim Newton and Don Harrison — busy building an impressive dual-guitar forcefield — a real run for their place in the mix. Although the album’s power (captured cleanly by producer Matt Wallace) makes it consistently striking, Sons of Freedom‘s best songs (e.g., “Mona Lisa,” “The Criminal” and “Fuck the System,” whose melody is very nearly a quote from Hair‘s “Aquarius”) are totally cool.