CD: Underworld Kingdom Artist: Leaf-Fat Label: N/A Rating: 3.5/5 Best Song: Next Century Reviewer: Bobby Gorman

It isn't often that you find a band that isn't from North America in our CD lists. For the most part, those are the bands that seem to make it big because its easier for the labels to see them and for them to tour. But every once in a while you get a band from another part of the world that has worked harder then most to get past the blockade and now have a solid fan base around the world. Like Sweden's Millencolin or Backyard Babies for example. Now, we have another band that will soon make a leap like that. It is Slovenia's Leaf-Fat (one of our first Local Spotlight bands). They finally have their debut full length out, called Underworld Kingdom and with the right support, it could go far.

The thirteen track album sits right in the vein of what's popular right now. That's right, emo. It molds silky bass rhythms into chugging guitar riffs topped off with melodic, sporadic, vocals - which really make the album stand out. There's enough screaming in there to get some screamo fans excited, but not so much that it becomes over powering and annoying. It knows when to jump in and when to stop, and like the music, it switches from the emo trend to more of a pop-punk sound instantly. It can have catchy gang vocals to quicker punk vocals all rounded off by the blistering screams. Really, it makes for a good listen.

Fans of emo hot shots Senses Fail will instantly fall in love with these young Slovenians. It's not the most innovative album out there, in fact, its pretty common now a days. But that doesn't take away from the fact that it is still pretty good. There isn't a song on it that forces you to press the skip button and while some songs go unnoticed, some songs, like Next Century, Amnesia, and Winter Song make you want to reach for the repeat button. And once again, it proves that North Americans aren't the only ones who can make a good emo CD.