A few seconds in to “Alibi” off of the debut release “IN DOG WE TRUST” by the UK based quartet who call themselves DOWNDOG, I really didn’t know what to expect. It started off pretty good. It had a hard, fast tempo that I could definitely get into but then the vocals kicked in and it scared me shitless at first. As the first couple of lines began to ring out through my speakers, the first thing that hit me was the dull, monotone and synthetically enhanced voice of lead vocalist Alton Rhodes (not unlike that of Axl Rose’s vocals on “It’s So Easy”) and the first thing that flashed across my mind was, “My God! I hope the whole album isn’t like this!” Gratefully it isn’t as just before the main chorus Rhodes’ real vocals kicked in and launched the song to a whole other level. I guess the best way to describe his vocals is a cross between that of the aforementioned Axl Rose and with a little bit of Jeff Keith thrown in for good measure.

The music itself exudes a wide range of musical styles ranging anywhere from classic rock to alternative or from mid-70’s punk to grunge but as a whole, the entire album just screams British-Rock! The second track “Shapes That You Don’t See” has touches of that 70’s punk rock sound almost reminding me a little bit of early POLICE tracks like “Fallout” or “Land Lord.” Then there’re tracks like the much heavier “Too Bad” which (brace yourselves for this comparison kiddies!) has the same feel of that of “I’ll Talk My Way Out Of It” by Stuttering John.

Along with his cohorts, bassist Kev Curtis, drummer Rolex and guitarist Phil Jones, Rhodes and the rest of the band show their darker side on tracks like “Do This Alone,” “Against The Wall” and “Anything.” Then they bounce right back up-tempo again with tracks like the very SMASHING PUNPKINS-ish sounding “In The Dark,” the hard-rocking, edgy “Body Without A Soul,” and my favorite track, an up-beat rocker entitled “Crash” which features a solid melody combined with a nice, more commercial sounding chorus.

All In All, “IN DOG WE TRUST” is a very good debut release. If you’re looking for something a little different and like the harder-alternative style of bands like THE PIXIES, SMASHING PUMKINS or FLICKERSTICK then DOWNDOG may be just what the doctor ordered and you can currently download their album right from either iTunes or 7digital.